Caused by the Cruciatus Curse
by Silverred89
Summary: Draco is reluctantly taking place in a raid against the Order when he comes across Ginny Weasley. The two strike up a secret relationship, and risk terrible consequences for each other.
1. Chapter 1

**My notes: This is something I just threw together at one in the morning... Please, take pity on me! **

**Oh, and don't forget to review! Reviewers get cookies.**

**I really wish these chapters were longer, but I find it oddly difficult to just add filler.**

**Anyway, here it is! My first chapter of a (hopefully epic) romance!**

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><p><strong>Ginny, 11:15 pm<strong>

I dodged curses frantically. Apparently, my first raid for the Order of the Phoenix wasn't going as well as I had hoped.

A bolt of green light flew past, and I ducked right before the killing curse could hit me. _Don't get separated,_ I remembered Bill telling me. _No matter what._ I shot a bat- bogey curse at a Death Eater dueling with Kingsley nearby, and he fell to the ground, writhing in revulsion.

This, unfortunately, seemed to catch the eye of another masked fighter. He turned toward me, stalking through the crowd. I shot a stunner at him, but he easily dodged. _Damn,_ I thought._ Now what?_

I backed away quickly, aiming several spells at him, but none hit their mark.

"Feisty little girl," He hissed at me, and I could hear him perfectly even through the din of the battle. "You must be a Weasley. Gives me even more reason to kill you. But not quickly, oh, no. I'll cruciate you until you're begging for death."

I vaguely wondered how he knew I was a Weasley, because I had the hood of my long black cloak pulled up to immerse my face in shadows. My long, signature, bright red hair was poking out a bit at the ends, I supposed. He continued to back me up into an alley, secluded from the main battle. He raised his wand and aimed.

"_Crucio!_" I dodged, the Unforgivable curse barely missing me. I took this as my cue to leave, and sprinted away, Bill's warning ringing in my ears. The unknown Death Eater ran along behind me, laughing unpleasantly. _"Crucio! Crucio!" _He shouted, and I managed to dart away from those curses as well.

I began to breathe heavily. I was relatively fit from my years of Quidditch, but it was nearly impossible to sprint at full speed for this long. "_Stupefy!_" I sent the spell over my shoulder, but I could still hear his footsteps behind me.

"Nice try, girly!" He yelled at me, now laughing maniacally. To be honest, the sounds he was now making were the only thing that had truly scared me this entire night.

I skidded to a halt, the end of the alleyway suddenly appearing before me. I turned around to face him, trapped. My hood had fallen off. There was no protecting my identity any more.

"I've got you now! _Crucio!" _The Death Eater yelled at me. Suddenly, I was engulfed in pain. There was nothing that could ever compare to this. I dropped to my knees, the hard cobblestones digging into the skin through my robes. My entire body was screaming at me, but I refused to make any noise of pain. I would not give this vile creature his satisfaction. I collapsed onto all fours, then rolled over onto my side, silent. Out of the corner of my eye I saw another cloaked figure hurrying toward us. It was nobody I knew.

"Still won't scream?" the Death Eater snarled at me. "_Crucio!_"

The pain doubled. Surely I would die from this. Nobody could ever survive this much agony. I writhed on the cold, hard, ground, feeling as though there were dull, white-hot knives piercing me, acid being poured over my ravaged form.

The cloaked person was now drawing closer. With a sinking heart, I saw it was another Death Eater. He was here to finish me off. _Please,_ I thought, _just end it now. _I tried to ask this of the newcomer with my eyes before they drifted shut. I was resigned. I was going to die.

**Draco, 11:15 pm**

Draco hated this, and his father knew it. He hated being forced to kill, to take the lives of people who didn't deserve it. They were only fighting for their freedom.

Indirectly avoiding his father's orders, he usually stunned instead of killed. It was more humane, and he couldn't bear to see the light go out of a person's eyes. he knew it was his fault as they would stare somewhat accusingly at him, falling back to rest with glassy orbs open. Every time he killed, he would stay in his room for several days, not eating, not talking.

Draco dodged a spell, turned to see its caster. Before he could catch anyone, though, a flash of red caught his eye. _It's the Weasley girl,_ he thought in wonder, watching as she spun and darted gracefully. Draco couldn't believe that her mother could ever agree to this. How could any mother agree to let her only daughter go on an almost certain suicide mission like this?

Suddenly, he felt a great need to protect this girl. It didn't repulse him as it once would have. He had changed. The words, "Mudblood" and "Blood Traitor" no longer meant anything to him. He reluctantly turned his attention away from her, ducking a stunning spell. He could still see her, and suddenly Dolohov was shooting a Cruciatus curse at her. _No, _Draco thought frantically, _I can't let her be tortured like this._ He very nearly leaped forward to stop him, but caught himself just in time. _Nobody knows that you don't want to kill these people! They'll kill you for treachery! _

Ginny turned tail and ran down the alleyway. Dolohov lumbered after her. Draco knew what he intended, and anger shot through him at his actions. Why couldn't he just leave her? She was only, what? Seventeen?

He knew he couldn't leave him to torture her, so he left the main battle and ran through the alleyway adjacent to the one they were currently running down. Draco caught glimpses of her sprinting, and realized that he had never seen anyone run so fast, or so awe-inspiringly, her red hair whipping behind her, the cloak flowing like a pair of onyx wings.

He saw her stumble to a halt at the end of the alleyway, turn towards Dolohov. Then he saw her tumble to her knees. _No, please, _he thought, _don't kill her! Not yet!_ She fell onto her side, facing him, and as he drew closer, he realized that she was making no noise. No moans, no screams. Brave girl. Admiration shot through him, followed immediately by a wash of fury as she arched her back, the agony multiplying as Dolohov cast the curse again.

It suddenly occurred to Draco that he had no idea why he wanted to protect Ginny Weasley. he couldn't explain it, he just felt protective toward her. He ran ever closer, and could see her open eyes. First, they held hope, but that vanished when she saw his mask. She thought he was just another Death Eater. Draco looked into her eyes again, and what he saw in them startled him. The strong, dark brown eyes now held desperation, begging for death. She had given up.

Dolohov turned toward Draco, laughing. "Oh, good, Draco, you've come to join in the fun!"

Draco laughed forcibly, and came up behind him, whispering, _"Stupefy." _He crumpled to the ground, and Draco sent another spell at him. "_Incarcerous."_ His unconscious form was now tied up in ropes, in case he managed to wake up.

He turned to Ginny, ripping off his mask. Her eyes snapped open and she crawled back when she saw him. Her gaze was still filled with agony, aftereffects of the curse. He hated seeing her strong-willed, stubborn body humbled like this. "Ginny," he whispered to her, "Can you hear me? Can you stand up?" She nodded.

"Malfoy," she stated somewhat weakly, and her tone held reproach and gratefulness, an odd mixture. He half expected for her voice to be ragged and croaky, but then realized that it wouldn't be, as she hadn't been screaming. That was difficult, not to scream when the Cruciatus curse hit you. But now, her voice was smooth, and almost enchanting. He mentally slapped himself. _Snap out of it. Now isn't the time to be fantasizing about your former enemy's little sister._

"Come over here." Draco pulled her behind a building. She could stand, but her back was still hunched over with pain.

"W-why-?" Ginny began, but Draco cut her off.

"Honestly, I don't know why. I just had to." He tucked a loosed strand of silky red hair behind her ear, pulled her hood back up to cover it. She looked mysterious,with her face cast into shadows, and maybe even… sexy? _No! Why am I thinking this? Shut up!_ He berated himself. They stared at each other for a few seconds.

"Thank you," Ginny finally said, "But it sounds like the fighting is over and it would be very hard to explain if Bill came across us while sending out a full-blown search party for me."

Draco nodded. He had been just about to say the same thing, but he caught the worry in her voice. She didn't even know if her brother Bill was alive. "Go," he whispered to her. Something about her rendered him unable to speak in a full voice. She stretched up onto her tiptoes and softly kissed him on the cheek. Then she was gone.

Draco sighed. _What have I gotten myself into now?_


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry about the wait, and the short chapters. I like to describe myself as a succinct writer. No messing around for me! **

**Anyway, reviewers get cookies. Or pies. Or Ice Cream. Or Creme Brulee. Or Chocolate Mousse. Just anyway, I am now giving all of my reviewers dessert. Except Dream Author and mothermonstersElphaba. YOU GUYS GET EXTRA! no, I'm just joking. just because you know me doesn't mean you get better treatment. Love you, now go get in line with the others. TeeHee. **

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><p><strong>Draco, a month after the raid<strong>

Draco couldn't stop thinking about Ginny. He had to contact her in some way. She was the only one who knew how he felt, who had seen him the way he really was. He also remembered the feel of her lips on his cheek a moment before she disappeared into the dark.

"Draco!" His father's voice broke through his thoughts. "You have a letter!"

He sighed and climbed back through the window. It had been his favorite spot for a while, out on the roof where nobody could see. Or on the tree that he could jump to from the very edge.

Draco followed the straight edge of Lucius's back down to a different window, where an unfamiliar owl tapped at the glass. _Draco Malfoy,_ it said on the front of the letter. The handwriting was odd, a mixture of spiky, messy, curvy, and feminine. He opened the window, untied the letter, and the owl flew off.

He hurried upstairs to open it. The weird handwriting continued into a brief letter:

_Draco Malfoy,_

_I would like to thank you for saving my life last month. I do not feel that I did it properly before I left. _

_I would also like to ask you why you saved me. All my life, I have been nothing to you but the blood traitor, friend of Mudbloods, the Weaselette. My brother is one of your worst enemies. It is a reasonable question._

_Ginny Weasley_

Draco laughed weakly. She didn't do things subtly, this girl. He pulled out a roll of parchment and began to write.

_Ginny,_

_I am glad that you decided to write me. I thought I would have to do it first. _

_I saved your life because those words, blood traitor, Mudblood, they mean nothing to me. They used to. But now I see the way my father treats his prisoners, the way the Dark Lord treats his own servants. I am no longer the person I used to be. _

_I saved your life because I saw you, on the ground, and I remembered the first time I ever looked at you, standing up for Potter, bold as brass. No, bolder. I remembered all the times your strong form shook with anger at me. I couldn't bear to see you crumpled like that._

_Draco Malfoy_

And before he could lose his courage, Draco sent the letter with his own eagle owl, back to Ginny.

His father once again strode into the spacious room. "Who was that letter addressed to?" he asked silkily.

"Blaise," Draco lied easily. He never considered his father as a real father anymore. More as a keeper, an overseer.

"And?"

"He wanted to know if I'd gotten the Hogwarts supply list yet."

"Really?"

"Yeah." Draco was going back for his last year at Hogwarts soon, and he couldn't wait to get away from his over controlling father and the Dark Lord, who was staying in his house.

Lucius threw him a skeptical look before stalking out of the room. Draco let out a sigh of relief. His father tended to use the Cruciatus curse when he didn't believe someone.

He climbed back onto the roof outside his room and began to think about Ginny. He was starting to regret the heartfelt letter he had sent.

_But why?_ He thought._ It's the truth!_

**Ginny**

I sat at the kitchen table in the Burrow. My mother was still fussing over me; she had been for a month. It was starting to grate on my nerves. "Ginny dear," she said, "Are you hungry? I've got some hot tomato soup here."

"No, Mum. Just thinking."

"Thinking? What about?"

I decided to tell her the truth. Finally. "You know Draco Malfoy?"

"Yes…" she said slowly.

"Well, I met him during the raid last July."

"Met him?"

"Well, er, he sort of saved my life."

My mother was aghast. "He what?"

"Well, that's where I was when Bill was looking for me. Some huge Death Eater chased me down an alley, and he was, um, using the Cruciatus curse on me-"

"_He what?_" Mum repeated angrily. I decided to gloss over the rest and skip to the part with Draco.

"Well, anyway, Draco came and he Stupefied the Death Eater and tied him up and we kinda talked a tiny bit, then I left 'cus Bill would be looking for me, so yeah." I finished lamely.

"So, Draco, he saved you?"

"Yes. And I just sent him a letter."

My mother immediately understood. "You're not sure whether you should trust him."

"Yeah," I sighed tiredly. "Among other things." She knew what said "other things" were.

"Well, I think you should see what he says in his reply, and then decide. And you can ask me, if you want. In the meantime, eat. You're getting too thin."

I mentally thanked my mum's obsession with feeding people in times of trouble. "All right," I surrendered. "But only if you put oyster crackers in the soup."

My mom smiled. "As always, dear."

I sat on my small bed, reading a new romance novel I'd gotten recently in Diagon Alley. I was just getting to the big kissing part when a tap on my window interrupted me. Charou, my new barn owl, stood on the sill with a reply from Draco.

I leapt from my bed, gave Charou a treat, and she settled on my shoulder, quickly getting bored and trying to climb over my head and onto the other side. I was impatient to open Draco's letter, though, and ignored her playful struggles. I ripped open the seal on the parchment, and began to read.

_Ginny,_

_I am glad that you decided to write me. I thought I would have to do it first. _

_I saved your life because those words, blood traitor, Mudblood, they mean nothing to me. They used to. But now I see the way my father treats his prisoners, the way the Dark Lord treats his own servants. I am no longer the person I used to be. _

_I saved your life because I saw you, on the ground, and I remembered the first time I ever looked at you, standing up for Potter, bold as brass. No, bolder. I remembered all the times your strong form shook with anger at me. I couldn't bear to see you crumpled like that._

_Draco Malfoy_

Inexplicable tears were trickling down my cheeks at the end. I'd never imagined that a Malfoy could be so honest. By telling me this, he'd proved that there he cared, that he'd paid attention. I believed him. I could tell that he hadn't been lying.

"Ginny dear, are you in there?" My mum's voice drifted through the closed door.

"Yes, Mum." I tried to sound as if I hadn't been crying.

"Fleur just sent me the time for your fitting tomorrow, for your bridesmaid's dress. Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. I'm just-"

She opened the door. "You are not fine. What happened? What did he say?"

My mum could be so intuitive. I silently handed her the letter.

"Oh, my."

"Yeah. I know." I flopped onto my bed. "What should I say back?"

"Tell him how you feel. How you're not sure about him. Tell him the truth." With that, she walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. I began to pen another letter to Draco.

_Draco,_

_When I first saw you, I wasn't sure. Were you trying to manipulate me into telling the Order's secrets? Please forgive me. I was naturally skeptical._

_Now, I am sure that you do not support Voldemort. Thank you for telling the truth. I would have gone mad if you had made some excuse like how one of my brothers would. "I never saved you! And if I did, it was purely accidental…" all that crap._

_Ginny_

I decided to give Charou a break and send the letter tomorrow, before my fitting. That way, I'd have something to look forward to during the long, tedious wait.


	3. Chapter 3

**Please please please review... I haven't gotten many... so sad.**

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><p><strong>Ginny, 4:30, two days until the wedding<strong>

I sighed as the seamstress darted around me, pinning and muttering. My arms ached and my back hurt from standing so straight for a few hours. The cool, gold silk fluttered around my toes as she adjusted a pin on the hem. Mum had escaped the small room about an hour before, claiming she needed to run some errands. Next to me, Fleur's sister Gabrielle slumped similarly.

The dresses were made of fine gold silk, with a V neckline with gold ribbon lacing through the V, zigzagging back and forth and tying in a bow at the top. There was a deep back, showing as much shoulder blade as Mum would permit. The empire waist was collected with a thin ribbon, a shade darker than the bodice. The skirt gradually changed to the same shade, flowing down to the floor. The sleeves were straight and went down to the elbows, where the fabric split off and floated down lightly to about waist length.

Mum burst through the door, carrying a white shopping bag and looking exasperated. "Fleur picked out the most absurd shoes for you two. I couldn't do anything to persuade her. I cannot believe she wants you to wear them! They won't even be seen, the dresses are floor length-"

"Well? Let us see these shoes." Gabrielle interrupted. My mum sighed, sat down in a cushy chair, and drew a box from the white bag. She opened the box and took out one of the shoes. Gabrielle drew in a breath of wonder, then let it out in a sigh of defeat. "I do not know how we are even going to walk in those."

I had to agree. The plainly styled stilettos were magnificent, pale gold and pearlescent, but had a ridiculously high, thin heel. They had a round, closed toe and a buckled strap across the ankle.

"Mum, are you sure you can't get her to change her mind?"

"Absolutely sure. And there's no time to get a different pair anyway; the wedding's in two days."

Finally, the seamstresses finished on both me and Gabrielle, promising to have the dresses ready to pick up the next day. We walked out of the shop and into Diagon Alley, bypassing all the stores and entering the Leaky Cauldron, where we met Fleur.

"Ah, Ginny, Gabrielle, Molly," she said, "You like the shoes I picked out?"

Gabrielle and I shared a look while my mother's lips pursed together. We assured her that we did, in fact, like the shoes very much, and walked out of the Leaky Cauldron with her. We piled into the new car of my father's and were back to the Burrow in minutes. I just had time to send my letter to Draco before Mum burst in.

"Ginny, come here," Mum had Gabrielle by the arm. She took out the shoe boxes and we used each other's shoulders for balance as we stepped precariously into the heels. "Well," she sighed, "You'd better get used to them. Wear them around the house a little."

I mourned the feel of my old, worn out Converse I'd been wearing before. The heels were comfortable enough, but they were like balancing on a floating log. Somehow, we managed to get down to the kitchen, where the leftovers from lunch were waiting. We ate quickly, and Gabrielle walked off to help Fleur with something. I was still sitting at the dining room table when Harry walked into the room, and his eyes grew wide at my shoes. "Take a picture, it'll last longer," I snapped at him. I was not in the mood for this kind of thing.

"Ginny, I- um, well, don't you think those are a bit, um," he stammered.

"Fancy? Well, let me tell you, it is not my choice to be wearing torture devices like these," I said, and with that, I hopped off my stool and climbed awkwardly up the stairs to my room, opening my thick romance novel and flopping down in my armchair.

Around 10:00, Charou flew into my room, holding a reply from Draco. I ripped it open, and my terrible day grew steadily worse as I read through the letter:

_Ginny,_

_I'm sorry, but I must ignore everything you just said in your letter. The Dark Lord knows that someone in your family is getting married. He has planned his overtake of the Ministry to correspond with the wedding. I don't know that the attack will reach you. He is debating whether or not to raid the party. I don't believe that he will decide until the day of the wedding, by which time it will be too late to notify you._

_In addition, the Dark Lord has demanded I join the group that is to assault the wedding, if it is attacked. Please believe that I will do my best to hurt as few people as possible._

_It may not be appropriate, but I am interested in hearing what is going on at your home in preparations for the ceremony. My life has never been normal and I have never taken part of a wedding._

_Draco_

I was horrified, and knew that I should tell my mother, but something kept me from hurrying to her. It was wrong, I knew, but if she told the Order, suspicions might arouse and I would have to explain about Draco, probably argue a ton. Not everyone was as accepting as my Mum.

I quickly began to write a reply back to Draco

_Draco, _

_Thank you for warning me. I can just imagine how awful it would be to try to fight Death Eater in the middle of a wedding. Especially wearing the shoes that Fleur is forcing the bridesmaids to wear._

_In response to your wanting to hear about the wedding plans, I must tell you that it is not very exciting. It will probably bore you to death, but I will tell you anyway. I am one of the two bridesmaids, along with Fleur's sister Gabrielle. You remember Fleur Delacour, from the Triwizard Championship. She is marrying my brother Bill. Our dresses are gold, floor length, and have unusual flowing sleeves. My mum had to limit how low Fleur was allowed to make the backs. Unfortunately, she couldn't limit the height of the heel on the shoes we have. It's crazy. To quote Gabrielle, "I do not even know how we are going to walk in those."_

_Anyway, my mum is going wild. The garden has to be weeded every day, and our house has to be cleaned over and over. Nobody's even going to be in the house for the entire thing! Hermione's managed to do some pretty good decoration in the trees and the mothers are cooking like maniacs. They refuse to hire a caterer. The tent is already set out on the hill. We're hoping it won't rain or anything. Ron's been making a huge fuss over the suit he has to wear; Charlie's is worse though and he's not complaining. _

_Ginny_

I sent the Charou with the letter immediately.

**Draco, 7:00 am, one day until the wedding**

Draco was woken by a tapping at the window. Looking over, he saw Ginny's owl on the sill. Blearily, he threw off his covers and opened the window. The owl dropped the letter, nipped Draco happily on the finger. He gave it a few treats, and the odd owl did some weird cat-like thing and rubbed against him, then flew out the window.

He opened the letter and read Ginny's description of the wedding. He laughed at her description of the shoes, and visualizing her in the dress she was to wear, he thought she would look exceptionally lovely. He almost wanted to go to the Burrow to see her in it, then realized what that would mean. That he'd have to be attacking her at the same time.

Draco was surprised at her mention of Ron, Hermione, and Fleur. He hadn't thought of any of them in quite a while. _Ron would make a fuss over dress robes_, he thought, imagining his reaction. He read all the way to the end of the letter, disappointed when her narration ended.

A house elf, Kalps, apparated into his room. "Can Kalps get anything for Master?"

"Yes, Kalps, the usual. Please." Draco added the last bit on. His father would be furious if he caught him, though.

Kalps apparated out of the room again. Draco, at a loss of what to do, began to write what would be his and Ginny's last correspondence before the wedding.

_Ginny,_

_I was not bored by your narrative; quite the contrary. I find it intriguing that your mother refuses to hire someone to cook for her son's wedding, for which Fleur is making you and Gabrielle wear torturous shoes, and that Ron is fussing over his dress robes. Your dress sounds beautiful, I'm sure that you will be quite the knockout at the wedding. Even if you are stumbling around in ridiculously high heels. _

_Hermione appears to have become quite a remarkable witch from what you say. I trust she has already come of age, to do magic over the summer. _

_I hope that I will not be seeing you anytime soon,_

_Draco_

By the time he's sent the letter, Kalps had come up with a tray of bacon, toast, and pancakes, with a plain glass of water. Thanking the elf, Draco dug into the breakfast that he had every day.

His mind kept straying back to what Ginny would look like in her dress. In his mind, her red hair was mostly pulled back, but leaving some loose, with solitary ringlets or waves framing her face. She walked confidently, without a trace of wobble in her step, and the heels peeked out from under the long skirt. All others paled in comparison. Even the bride couldn't compete with her beauty.

His father knocked on the door and opened it without invitation. "Ah, you're awake." He eyed Draco's informal, plaid pajama pants with distaste. "The Dark Lord requires your presence at noon. He wishes to discuss tomorrow's plan with you." Lucius swept out of the room.

Draco sighed. He was in for a day of it. Visits with Voldemort were never pleasant. Plus, he would most likely have to attack the Burrow the next day.

He sighed unhappily and turned his mind back to Ginny.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey, sorry about the wait… the only time I've been able to write is about from 11:00 pm to 2:00 am… don't worry, I'm a night owl! And can I mention that I love Segala, who told me that just because I'm not getting many reviews doesn't mean that nobody is reading it, and anyone who isn't doesn't know what they're missing. Thank you! **

**Reviewers get cookies. Make sure everyone knows that. *gives cookies to everyone who reviewed* Please please review it makes me happy and write faster… you want that, right?**

**Hey, if you don't know what accents are in a braid, it's a little braided or twisted strand of hair that comes down from the main bit and then loops back up. Look 'em up!**

**Ginny, The day of the wedding**

I kept trying to find time to reply to Draco, but Mum kept dragging me off to do something else. I didn't really think it was purposeful, but I was still anxious as I stood in the middle of her bedroom with Gabrielle, both in our new dresses. Fleur was somewhere else, getting ready, and Mum had covered up he mirrors so we couldn't see ourselves as she did our hair and makeup. I played with the fabric of the skirt until Mum slapped my hand away.

At long last, she took the covers off the mirrors. I gazed at my reflection. I'd never felt this beautiful before.

Two complicated five strand French braids were drawn to the back of my head, spiraled around each other, flat on my head, and were held by invisible pins into a small bun. Tiny gold rosettes were stuck intermittently into the French braids.

Two small, twisted accents dipped down from the braids, then came back up, tucking back into shallow loops. The rest of my hair fell long and straight to about my waist, and when I moved my head, it looked as though there were slight gold highlights in it.

I looked over at Gabrielle and saw that her hair was done similarly, but the braids were tied together with a ribbon and fell loose from there. Her white-blonde side bangs were curled elegantly to the side of her face. With a pang, I realized the color reminded me of Draco.

One of my wrists was covered with an odd bracelet; it seemed to wrap around, over and over, almost like a snake. It conformed to my arm like elastic. I had a thin gold chain around my neck with a tiny silver rosette hanging weightlessly from it.

My makeup was done expertly and subtly. I had just a little bit of blended eye shadow, minimal but noticeable eyeliner, lip gloss, and mascara. My green eyes stood out wonderfully.

"Let's go. It's time." My mother stood it the doorway, looking tense.

I stepped into my awful shoes, buckled the straps, and walked down the stairs. The guests were arriving, but Mum steered us away from them and into the back room of the tent. "I don't want them to see you girls yet. It'll a surprise."

After a while, I slipped away to my room and had just enough time to strap my wand to my calf before Mum came up and told me to get back down there.

The time up until the wedding passed in a blur. I was vaguely aware of seeing Hermione being complemented by Viktor Krum, and one of Fleur's male cousins slipping into the back of the tent and flirting shamelessly with Gabrielle and me. Then he left, and I heard the music playing, the guests quieting down. Somehow, right then, I knew that Voldemort would attack. The only question was when. During the ceremony? Or after, during the reception?

_Death Eaters are going to attack._

Finally, I was walking slowly up the aisle, holding a single flower (I wasn't paying attention to what kind), and trying not to break my ankles in the heels. Then, I was standing to the side of the altar, and watching Fleur floating up to Bill. I was so tense and my palms were sweating, but I resisted wiping them on my dress. I didn't want to ruin the beautiful fabric.

_Death Eaters are going to attack_.

I could feel my wand, pressing into the skin of my calf.

Bill and Fleur said their vows, kissed, and the party began. Waiters circled the room with food and champagne. A line formed to congratulate my brother and his new wife. I danced a bit with Lee Jordan, Fred and George's friend, and he kissed me quickly and sweetly before winking and going to talk to Charlie. Apparently, he'd had a bit of a crush on me.

I noticed a lot of Veela cousins hanging around George, who was joking effortlessly with them, one ear and all. Everyone was happy, laughing, and I was out on the dance floor with Luna, having fun batting the Wrackspurts away, forgetting my problems for a few minutes.

_Death Eaters are going to attack._

Then it all went wrong.

**Draco, 7:30, the wedding**

The moment they apparated in, he knew Ginny was there. He scanned the room, looking past the curses flying, the people apparating. Where was she? Then he found her, crouching in a corner, the hem of her dress pulled up to her knee, revealing her long legs and, just as she'd said, extremely high heels. She was pulling her wand from a small sheath on her leg. Suddenly, she straightened up and sent a brilliant hex toward Rosier.

Draco found he couldn't do much but stare at her. He'd thought she'd be beautiful, but his imagination was pathetic in comparison. Her dress hugged the right curves and revealed her graceful shoulder blades from behind. Her hair flew and whipped as she dueled another Death Eater. The heels didn't seem to hinder her in the slightest, but only accentuated her long legs.

He battled and fought his way over to her. He'd noticed the Golden Trio escape a few moments before, and saw her family try to get to her before they, too, were forced to apparate away. The fighting was nearly over now, but he had to get to her. Abruptly, he saw her mouth open in a cry, then she fell. It was another Cruciatus curse. He reached Ginny, levitated her across the room to make it look as though he'd used a curse to blast her over, then followed her into the corner she'd fallen into.

She moaned in pain, then opened her eyes and saw him crouched in front of her. Terrified, she scrambled back, only to hit the wall. He ripped off the mask, but left the hood up. She slumped in exhausted recognition. "Ginny," he whispered urgently, "can you hold onto me?" I'm going to apparate us away." She nodded and clung to his neck. He could barely concentrate on his disapparation with the feel of her wrapped around him, but made it back to his room without Splinching. He set her down in the squashy armchair by the door, and she sat there for a second before bending down and struggling with her heels.

Draco stopped her and began to undo the buckles as she leaned back and sighed. "How could that have happened? I don't even know if my family is alive, and now I feel like freaking Cinderella."

Draco finished taking off her heels and sat on the bed, drinking in the sight of her. "This is completely off the point, but do you realize how beautiful you are tonight?"

She opened her eyes and he was once more hit with the power of them. "I'm glad you think that. But right now, I have to send my parents an owl. Wherever they are."

"I know your family is safe. I saw them apparating away. But I'll send them an owl, you need to sleep."

Ginny was obviously too tired to argue. Draco dug around in his closet a bit, found a small pair of pajama pants, and a loose t-shirt. He handed them to her, and she went into his bathroom to change. He tried not to think about the fact that she was undressing in there.

He began a letter to her parents:

_Mr. and Mrs. Weasley,_

_As Mrs. Weasley most likely knows, I have been corresponding with your daughter for a while now. I saw her during the fight at the wedding and took her back to the Manor. She is safe here for now, I will get her back to you as soon as possible. She was relatively unhurt in the battle. I am very sorry for what the Dark Lord has done._

_Draco Malfoy_

He sent the letter off quickly. Ginny emerged from the bathroom, dressed in his old clothing, and slumped in the chair.

"Woah. What do you think you're doing?" he asked her.

"Sleeping," she replied drowsily.

"Not there, you're not." He picked her up, despite her weak protests, and lay her down in his bed. "Now, any questions?"

"Yes. Where are you going to sleep?"

"Right next to you. Don't worry, I won't bite."

She setteled down into the covers and fell into a deep sleep. He crept in next to her, and soon enough, he was asleep as well.

**Ginny, 9:00 am, the day after the wedding**

When I woke up the next morning, Draco wasn't in the bed next to me. I sat up, looked around, and figured he had to be downstairs getting breakfast. I quickly clothed in my bridesmaid's dress, then washed all the traces of makeup from my face. Surprisingly, my hair was still as sleek and smooth as it had been yesterday. My mother's neatening spells rally did wonders.

I paced the room a bit, then jumped as the door opened. I hid quickly behind it, where I was invisible to anybody entering.

"Ginny," I heard Draco groan, right after he slammed the door and collapsed on the floor. His back was covered in slashes, and his clothing was dripping blood.

"Draco! What happened?" I picked up my wand and levitated him onto the bed, magicked his shirt off and examined the wounds.

"T-the Dark Lord was not happy with my leaving the raid early."

"Oh, Draco, that's terrible!" his head turned to the side, and he seemed to be looking at me. An odd expression was in his grey eyes, mixed with pain.

Then I realized these cuts were because of me. The tears came before I could stop them, and Draco's bloody mess of a back blurred in front of me. He weakly reached a hand up to try to wipe them away, but dropped back limply off the side of the bed.

I got a hold of myself, the occasional tear still trickling down my cheeks. Ignoring that, I turned my attention to his back, wiping as much of the blood off as I could with a cleaning spell.

Suddenly, I heard a crack as someone apparated into the room. I looked around, and a little house elf stood in front of me, looking surprised. Then he bowed low. "How can Kalps help Miss?"

I opened my mouth to speak, but Draco interrupted me with a scratchy voice. "Kalps, bring two plates of food, any kind, and a healing potion. And I order you to never speak of Ginny to anyone."

"Yes, Master," Kalps said, and apparated away. I turned back to Draco and began to try to heal his cuts. They pulled together a little, making him hiss in pain, but try to smother the noise in his pillow. "I'm sorry," I whispered, sitting down next to the bed and stroking the hair away from his face.

Kalps apparated back into the room, handed me a small, corked bottle, and set a tray laden with food down on a side table. "Can Kalps get anything else for Miss Ginny or Master Draco?"

"No, thank you, Kalps," I said kindly, and he disappeared with a crack. Then I turned back to Draco, uncorked the bottle with shaking hands and poured a little of the solution onto his back. The dark purple liquid soaked quickly into the smoothly muscled skin, and whatever gashes it had touched closed and faded. I drizzled a bit more on and rubbed it in when it didn't reach all of the spots. Soon, all of the cuts were healed, or very nearly closed.

Draco groaned softly. I immediately stopped rubbing his back. "Did I hurt you?"

He sat up abruptly, obviously holding back a cry of pain, but said softly, "No. I did that because it felt so good."

I tried not to stare at his smooth, muscular chest that was currently bare to my gaze. Small spatters of dried blood were visible around his shoulder and ribs, making the scene grisly, but oddly, well, almost sexy.

All this processed in my mind in the span of about half a second, and I brought my eyes back to his. He looked at me for a second, then reached out, wrapped his hand in my hair, and brought my lips to his.

I was so surprised that a little gasp flew from me. He used this as a chance to deepen the kiss, now exploring every nuance of my mouth. I realized I'd wanted this to happen, and slipped my arms over his shoulders and began to caress his back again. A quiet moan escaped his lips and he pulled me onto the bed next to him. One of his hands was wrapped firmly in my hair, the other set on my hip.

Through my blissful haze, I realized that this could get real dangerous real fast. 1) We were on a bed. (Well, duh!) 2) I was wearing a dress, and one that was pretty revealing at that. 3) He was shirtless and kissing me like nothing else mattered in the world.

Honestly, I didn't mind the last one.

He seemed to come to this conclusion as well and pulled his wonderful lips away from mine, breathing hard. He rested his forehead on mine and his smoldering grey eyes met my bright green ones.

**Draco, after the kiss**

He didn't really know what he was doing when he kissed her. He just needed to feel her, her mouth, her hands. He'd pulled away from her amazing, red, tempting lips, and knew as he stared into her shockingly green eyes that he deeply cared for this girl, might even love her.

Her warm, soft hands still drew small circles on his bare flesh, and he bit back another groan at the feeling. He took his own hand off Ginny's hip and set it safely upon her back, which he was surprised at first to find uncovered, but then remembered reading about how her mother had tried to limit the amount of skin the dress was allowed to show. He loved the feeling of her hot skin on his.

They gazed longingly into each other's eyes, but were interrupted by an owl at the window. Draco growled low; he didn't want to interrupt this amazing moment. But the bloody bird was insistent and squawked at them, at which point he disentangled his hand from Ginny's hair and reached over to the window, letting his owl in. The impatient bird dropped the letter on the bed and flew over to its perch. Reluctantly, Draco removed his other hand from Ginny's back, but drew her onto his lap. She curled up there, perfectly happy.

He ripped open the note from her parents and read.

_Draco,_

_Thank you so much for keeping Ginny safe. We were out of our minds with worry._

_Please tell her that the rest of our family is also safe, and Ron has escaped with Harry and Hermione. We are not sure where he is, but we know that he isn't hurt._

_In regard to your apologies, I must assure you that, though it was indeed a tragedy for a wedding to end like that, it is in no way your fault._

_We would like very much to have Ginny back. Would you like to meet us at King's Cross? It would be easy enough to apparate there then leave. Send us a confirmation if you can; any time is fine._

_Arthur and Molly Weasley_

Draco put down the letter and cradled Ginny closer to his chest, wiping away the tear tracks on her cheeks that were still wet from a few minutes ago. He wasn't sure he wanted to give her back. But he would. He'd make sure she was safe, no matter what.


	5. Chapter 5

Hey, sorry about the wait, I've been preoccupied with school and I have soccer practice every day until 5, so I'm pretty busy. Then (time for more excuses) I'm very tired and sore when I get home, so I can't do anything but my huge amounts of math homework and then read a book.

Oh, and in my applied tech class I got a humongous burn from an abnormally hot glue gun (it melted right through the plastic bottle we were gluing!) and the blister it made broke so I have a badly applied band aid on one finger. So I might skip or switch some words or letters, PM me if it gets too bad. I'll try harder.

AND REVIEW PEOPLES! Another reason why I haven't been updating is because NOBODY REVIEWS! I am very emphatic, people. Even if you've reviewed before, doesn't mean that I don't want to hear about you. I just want suggestions and to make sure that people are actually reading. I've kind of forgotten about it a bit over the week, because I'm getting no emails that say, "_ reviewed your story, _!" (I have two stories. I'm not getting any reviews from the other one, either.)

Super super super short chapter today, I'll update again, sooner than this one, but PLEASE REVIEW! 3 :)

Anyway, after my long-winded rant, here's what you've been waiting for:

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><p>Ginny, after King's Cross<p>

I sighed tiredly. It was after 1:00 am, and we'd just gotten back from King's Cross station. Mum and Dad both hugged me one last time, then I traipsed upstairs to my room. I opened the letter Draco'd given me (it was charmed to not open until I got home) and flopped down in my chair.

_Ginny, _it read,

_This will probably be our last chance to communicate until school. The Dark Lord has our house under extra security. I think he suspects that I left the house for something other than visiting Blaise. _

_I am attracted to you, Ginny, but I know what the Dark Lord and my family have done to yours. That kiss could have never happened, if you want. We could ignore each other at school, just like always. Nobody would suspect a thing, because nothing ever did happen. _

_Of course, even if we do choose to have a secret relationship, that would happen anyway. I (and most likely you and your family) will be harmed if we are found out. We would have to be very careful and distant with each other in public._

_Gods, I'm rambling. That's what you do to me, Ginny. Anyway, see you in September,_

_Draco_

The writing got increasingly jagged as I read down the parchment. Then I set it down on my bedside, and gathered my clothing for bed. For once, I wouldn't have to hurry up in the bathroom!

When I got out, dressed in loose shorts and a tank top, I realized that it was almost two. How long had I spent in the bathroom? It hadn't seemed like that long. I stumbled to my room, then collapsed into my bed, thinking of Draco.

Ω Ω Ω

When I woke up the next morning, the sheets were tangled around my feet and the straps of my tank top were twisted uncomfortably. My digital clock read 11:43 am. I groaned, still feeling like it was two in the morning.

I heard a tap at the window and began to leap excitedly towards it, but then remembered. It wasn't a letter from Draco. I wasn't going to get any more of those. I wondered how in hell I was supposed survive these last months without Draco or my brothers. Fred and George were living at their shop, Bill was with Fleur at Shell Cottage, Charlie was off in Romania, and Ron was… who knows where. Now I only had my parents and Charoun for the next few months.

Sighing, I opened the window to let the owl in. It was one from the _Daily Prophet. _I took out one of my last knuts, tucked it into the pouch on the owl's leg, and unrolled the paper. The owl flew out of the window again, but I ignored it in favor of staring incredulously at the news in front of me. There wasn't a _single_ mention of Voldemort, not him taking over the Ministry or the Wizarding world, or anything. The only thing that might have been a hint was the blaring headline, over a picture of a fat, ratty man: _Pius Thicknesse takes Post of Minister._ The man stood, glaring out of the paper as though everyone was unworthy to look at him.

I sighed and flipped through the rest of the newspaper. I noticed an article about another recent raid made by the Death Eaters. It had taken place last night. I wondered if Draco had been there. Had he been hurt? Was he even alive now? Or was he living in luxury after being approved in duty by the Dark Lord?

God, how was I going to live through this?


	6. Chapter 6

**So sorry about the wait… I've been updating all my stories this weekend, because my BFF Dream Author has been bugging me about it. And a SUPER long chapter today! well, long for me, at least...**

**Oh, and I've been updating because I've been spending a lot of time on the computer in order to listen to the new Coldplay song, Paradise, over and over. So I figured I might as well update.**

**Please, please review. I will be sad and not update very frequently if you don't.**

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><p><strong>Ginny, August 29th<strong>

I couldn't wait. I mean, despite the fact that I couldn't hang out at King's Cross for three days, or sit in this damned tree for that long, either, or I'd fall out because I was fidgeting so much.

So for the entire summer, I'd been sitting at my kitchen counter, waiting. I had no idea what I was waiting for: September first? A letter from Draco? Ron? A newspaper, telling me that Voldemort had been murdered by three teenagers and the government was finally back in order? No, I knew the only one that would ever come was at least two months away.

So then, after about a month of this, Mum had gotten fed up with it and told me to go do something. After that, I'd spent practically every hour outside. When it was raining, I flew in the orchard, since the rain blocked the Muggles' sight of me from Ottery St. Catchpole. When it was sunny, I sat in the same freaking tree every day. I kept telling myself to go out and get a new tree. Challenge yourself! Find another one! Try a taller tree, or a pokier one.

But no, I stuck to the same old tree. It was a pretty dull summer, if you can believe it. I'd finished my romance novel about five times, but Mum couldn't just go to Flourish and Blotts and get a new one. No, if she tried that, she'd be arrested for being a "blood traitor."

So anyway, it was three days until I could go to Hogwarts, and I was honestly about to fall out of my tree because I was so anxious. I seriously thought I was going crazy. I'd thought about naming the tree, then carving my initials into it, and maybe someone else's, too. Then I'd resolved not to think about Draco anymore, 'cause he wasn't helping the issue.

I stood up on my branch and wrapped my hands around another one, about eye level with me. Easily, I pulled myself up to the branch, so my feet were hanging in space and I was completely supported by my straightened arms. Then, I flipped my body around so my back was facing the branch, and sat down on the branch.

My upper body strength had seriously taken a turn for the better this summer. As has my tree climbing skills. I stood up on that branch and looked down. I was about thirty feet above the ground. I kept climbing, avoiding any drips of sap, and ended up about forty five feet over the orchard floor. It was a seriously tall tree. I still had about fifteen feet to go before I reached the part of the tree where the branches become too thin to hold my weight.

I looked at my watch. It was 5:30. I sighed, knowing it would take me at least five minutes to descend through the branches without killing myself, then a twenty minute walk back to the Burrow for dinner at six. That gave me five minutes to spare before Mum would be expecting me.

Slowly but surely, I began to make my way down the branches of the tree. It began to sprinkle, and the night was still warm, but I could see through the leaves that a storm was coming. I knew this tree like the back of my hand. I was pretty sure I could have gone up and down blindfolded.

I dropped to the ground easily, with nothing but a few small scratches on my hands to show for my climb. I began to tread the familiar path back home. The rain had begun to fall more heavily. The red of my hair began to darken with water and the ends of the ponytail got heavier. By the time I got home, I was nearly soaked.

"Oh, Gin," Mum said when I got home, "go upstairs and change before dinner, all right?"

"Sure, Mum." I trudged up the stairs to my room and changed into an old, comfy pair of sweatpants my mum had made that had "Gryffindor" and my Quidditch number sewn on the leg. Also, I put on a dark red semi-fitted t-shirt and my black, red, and gold Quidditch sweatshirt with my number and "Weasley" across the back. I also fished my fuzz lined slippers out from under my bed and put them on.

On my way downstairs, I took my wet hair from its ponytail, squeezed out the water, and gathered it back into a loose knot at the base of my neck. I jumped the last few stairs, feeling warm and happy now, having managed to forget Hogwarts for the time being. Mum had prepared potatoes and sausage tonight, the meat was perfectly oily and the potatoes buttery. I was just leaning back in my chair, full, when Mum and Dad exchanged a glance.

Oh, no. This couldn't end well.

"Ginny," Dad began, "Well, er, we were wondering…" He trailed off.

Then Mum came in. "Ginny. We were thinking that maybe it isn't wise for you to return to Hogwarts."

"What? I have to go! Haven't you been seeing how bored-"

"Ginny, Snape's headmaster, and we've heard there are Death Eaters teaching now."

"Dad, I can take care of myself! I'll stay out of trouble!"

"Obviously, you can't, judging from the raid a few months ago."

"That wasn't my fault! That big one came after me!"

"Ginny," my mum said gently, "it's because of that we think you shouldn't return. You're an easy target."

"Come on, Mum! I'll go, and if I need to come home, I'll just visit for the holidays and not go back! Please!"

"Ginny, I don't think this is a good idea."

"Mum! It's easy! The first holiday is Christmas break; they can't single me out in one or two months! I'll lie low!"

"Ginny Weasley." Dad was getting angry now. "You will listen to your mother."

"Yeah, listen to her try to keep me holed up here forever! You have to take a few risks in life, or you'll never get anything done! What're you going to do? Home school me?"

"Ginny! Go upstairs right now! We will discuss this tomorrow."

Well pissed, I stomped up the stairs and flopped onto my bed. Then it fully sank in, what they were trying to do. Tears began to leak from the corners of my eyes, and I struggled not to make any noise.

They were taking me away from my entire life. Luna, Dean, all my friends. I wouldn't even be able to write to them, if the Death Eaters were looking for me.

I woke up the next morning feeling miserable. I just wanted to stay in bed forever. Then I looked over at the clock. It was already 10:30. I had stayed in bed long enough. I threw off the covers and saw that I was still in my sweatshirt and sweatpants. Groaning, I got up, gathered a new change of clothes, and went into shower.

Later, feeling much better, I emerged from the steamy bathroom dressed in a pair of black skinny jeans, fuzzy socks, and the same tee and sweatshirt from last night. I went down the stairs in search of breakfast. Unfortunately, Mum was sitting there, drinking a cup of tea and reading an old newspaper. We'd canceled our subscription to _The Daily Prophet_, since it, too was being controlled by Voldemort.

I'd opened a cabinet in search of food when my mother's voice interrupted me. "Ginny," she began, apparently afraid of another argument like last night's. "Your father and I were talking last night, and-"

"Mum, I have to go back. I can't just stay here waiting for a bunch of seventeen-year olds to defeat the worst Dark wizard to ever live. If I do get in trouble, I can come home during the holiday, and I can send letters every day. Draco'll be there, he can help! If I stay, they'll wonder where I am, might even come after us. They know we've been in contact with Harry, we're probably under surveillance right now-"

"Ginny. We've thought about it, and decided that you can go back. For now. But if something does happen, you will tell us, and you will come straight home. Do you understand?"

I nodded numbly. I hadn't expected to win this one. Mum went back to her newspaper, probably reading stuff that was about three or four months old.

After eating hastily, I put on my pair of leather knee-high boots. They were black and scuffed, with no heel or zipper. I'd gotten them cheap last year in Diagon Alley, and were some of my favorite shoes. I fetched a thin dark red raincoat from my closet, slung it over my shoulders, and went outside. From there, I grabbed my broom from the shed in the yard, and began to walk to the clearing in the orchard.

By the time I reached the field, my boots had a thin coating of mud over the leather and my raincoat was beaded with water drops. The rain continued to stream in a heavy downpour, but I was glad that it hadn't stopped; otherwise I'd be forced to go to the tree yet again.

Finally, I got to the clearing. I swung my leg over the wood of the broom and kicked off. It felt wonderful to be in the air again, especially as it hadn't been raining as much as it usually does in the summer. My long red hair whipped around behind me, getting darker as it became soaked with water. I knew it was about forty degrees out, but the cold didn't bother me. It couldn't bother me. Right now, I was in paradise, a place where all my troubles would be left behind.

I marveled in the speed of my broom once again, a Nimbus 2001, which had been Christmas present from Charlie a few years ago. It'd been on sale in Diagon Alley, he said, in response to my ecstatic thanks. It was pure black, except for the tips of the sleek branches that were bleached white. It could go around 120 miles an hour at full speed.

After circling the field a few times, I stopped and took in a few deep breaths. The air smelled like rain and… smoke?

I looked towards the direction of the Muggles and saw, with horror, a house on fire. No. It wasn't just a house. It seemed as though the entire town was burning. For a second, the wind changed, and I was blinded by a wave of black smoke, and I doubled over, choking. Then it cleared, and I saw figures streaming out of some of the buildings. Their screams drifted towards me, sending more chills down my spine, and it was only then that I saw them.

Several black-cloaked silhouettes came out from behind one of the burning houses. I knew then that I should descend, go home as fast as I could. A situation like this couldn't end well. _Go, _a voice in the back of my mind urged._ Go now! They'll be fine; the Death Eaters aren't killing any of them directly!_ I made to turn my broom around, my gaze still glued to the Death Eaters. The small movement, however, caught the eye one of the sinister figures below. I saw him stop, motion to his cronies, and point in my direction.

They began to head my way.

I flew faster than ever then. I began to descend so quickly that I could feel the broom straining to keep up. The muddy ground rushed up to meet me, and I jumped off my Nimbus when I was still about six feet up. Grasping the handle, I sprinted as swiftly as I could, dodging through the thick growth of trees. I ducked under branches, leapt over roots, and when my broom became too cumbersome to carry, I tugged myself up into one of the trees and stuck it into a V in the split trunk.

Already, I could see the dark, bat-like silhouettes of the Death Eaters behind me. I panicked and jumped from the tree, splattering my legs with more mud. The impact sent a stinging pain up my ankle, and I steadied myself with a hand before straightening and beginning to sprint again. My lungs were burning, begging for air, but I had to keep going. Stray twigs scratched my face and caught in my whipping hair.

I remembered Dad's coaching from a few years ago when he was teaching me to run faster and for longer. _Deep breaths, extend your strides._ With every step, my pace slowed, and with a glance behind me, I saw the figures gaining distance. They were still about half a mile behind me, which gave me a little over five minutes to get home and warn Mum.

I felt a deep sense of relief when the orchard thinned and the Burrow came into view. I kept running all the way to the side, where I finally opened the door and entered the warm house. "Oh, Ginny, I've been-" Mum began, then she saw my face. "What's wrong?"

I gasped for breath. "Muggle town's on fire. Death Eaters, saw me, they're coming."

"Where's your broom?"

"Stuck it in a tree in the woods."

"Good. Now get your wand and go outside. Look for them, and warn me if you see them coming."

"But what-"

"Go!"

I rushed up the stairs, despite the angry burning in my legs, got my wand, ran back down the stairs, and found my mother waving her wand around, making things disappear. I was about to ask her what she was doing, but thought better of it and dashed outside. I couldn't see the Death Eaters yet, but figured we had maybe two minutes left before they came.

Anxious, I paced, eyes glued on the trees. Now that I was getting my breath back, the heat leeched out of my body, leaving me shivering, wet, and feeling as though I could collapse at any time. I jumped at any rustle of the leaves, any splash of rain. I could hear Mum still waving her wand, making things disappear.

Then they were coming through the thick growth of trees, still about 700 feet away. I ran to the door and yelled, "Mum! I see them!"

She cast a look at me, made the books on the mantle pop out of existence, and jogged to me. I was already backing out the door, seeing the group draw closer. One of them seemed to hang back, either because he was reluctant or he was just a slow runner. I almost raised my wand, but Mum whacked my arm down. Then she grabbed my wrist, spun, and we Apparated away.

7:30

Let me tell you something. Apparition is really not one of the nicest forms of traveling, even when you're running for your lives from a bunch of sadistic dark wizards. Aside from the part where you can't breathe whatsoever, there's the factor that if you happen to be claustrophobic, apparition is really hell. I mean, not that I'm claustrophobic, but I know a few people who are, and they say it's about the worst way they could ever imagine getting from place to place.

So anyway, when I got out of that iron rubber tube, I found myself in a field. I mean, that was it. A ton of grass, about knee height, pure green. That's all I could see for miles. The sky was an overall, uniform grey. I was quite surprised when Mum started tugging me in one direction, because to me, there wasn't anything to go to. It's all the same, why bother going one way or another?

We walked along in silence for a while, and she sped up when she saw a brief break in the grass. We reached it, a small square in the deep waves. She reached around the edges, found something, and pulled. To my astonishment, the ground pulled up to reveal a small staircase dug into the ground. It reminded me of the bomb shelters we learned about in Muggle Studies when we were studying World War II. I descended the stairs at Mum's urging, and found a rather large room at the bottom. It had a packed dirt floor and a large number of candles for lighting, but was nice, considering the fact that it was underground.

"What is this?" I broke the silence.

"It's a shelter your father and I built when Voldemort was at large last time. We never thought we'd need it. And speaking of your father," she brought out her wand, conjured a Patronus, a friendly-looking German shepherd, spoke a short message, and waved her wand again. The dog disappeared.

"And what were you doing in the house, making everything disappear?"

"I was taking out anything that might make them think we were magical. If they didn't see us Disapparate, they'll have no proof that we have any knowledge of magic. They'll just assume that you ran to a Muggle friend's house."

"So now what?"

"Now, we wait until your father comes."

So we waited. I drifted off, glad to be able to finally rest. I began to doze against the wall, which, despite being made of some sort of stone, felt like the comfiest chair I'd ever sat in. I let the terrible images of the day drift out of my mind, the screams, the fire, the Death Eaters.

Soon, I fell asleep. I didn't dream.

When I woke up, I heard Mum talking to someone in hushed tones. I opened my eyes, blinked blearily, and recognized Dad. "Ginny!" he exclaimed. "I've been so worried! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Dad. Just tired."

"Are you sure? Because from what your mother said, you had quite an ordeal-"

"I'm okay. Really."

With one last worried look, he turned back to Mum. After that, I kind of zoned out, not really interested in any sort of conversation.

About half an hour later, Mum called my name. "Ginny? We're going back."

"Home?"

"Yes. We've decided that it's safe now."

"All right, but we don't have to Apparate again, do we?

Mum smiled wryly.

**11:40 pm**

Five seconds later, we appeared back in the yard of the Burrow. I shivered, trying to shake free of the bonds of Apparition. We cautiously ventured inside, expecting the worst, but all we found was our house, stripped of a few bits of furniture. Mum waved her wand and they were automatically restored. I went up to my room to change as Dad lit candles. I opened the door, and almost let out a shriek. There was something on my bed. Something that looked suspiciously like…a broom. My broom.

I went farther into the room, picked up the broomstick. It was exactly as I had left it in the tree. The few specks of mud had been cleaned off, and it was completely untouched. Then I saw the note under it.

_Thought you might like this back._

_-D.M._

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><p><strong>Draco, 11:00 pm<strong>

Draco tossed in his bed, once again haunted by images of Ginny. He hadn't known what to expect when he went on that raid to the Muggle town. He certainly hadn't expected to come across the youngest Weasley once again.

He could easily see her in his mind again, reliving the horror he had felt when he realized the girl they were going after was actually Ginny. He remembered how her soaked hair whipped behind her, boots splattered with mud, probably soaked to the bone. How she'd leapt gracefully from that tree, then kept running like she hadn't just jumped from about fifteen feet off the ground. He'd wondered why she'd been in the tree, then he'd gone back and found her broom.

But before that, how he'd seen her turn on her broom and dive, so fast she was just a dark red streak in the sky. And how he'd glimpsed her between the trees, pacing protectively in front of her home. He'd been surprised when he entered home; it seemed so bare, without a single bit of magical furniture in sight. But he realized, not soon after, what Mrs. Weasley had been doing while her daughter stood outside.

When they left the house, (the others seemed convinced that the girl had indeed gone to a Muggle friend's home) Draco doubled back, claiming he had dropped his bottle of Polyjuice Potion. When he reached the tree he had seen Ginny leap from, he climbed a bit up the trunk to try to see what she had hidden. He had assumed it would be a reasonably easy scale, but to his surprise, the branches were few and far apart, and extremely thin. He marveled at Ginny's tree climbing ability.

When he reached a branch high enough that he could see what she'd concealed, he jumped back down, summoned the broom, and apparated back to her yard with it. Luckily, his dull companions were gone; probably back to the Muggle town. Draco entered the bare house once more, ascended the narrow stairs, and looked into each of the rooms until he found one that was obviously Ginny's. There were posters of Gwenog Jones, the Beater and captain of the Holyhead Harpies. The bedspread was a dark red, the frame made of a warm colored wood.

Draco set the broom on her bed, dug out a small scrap of parchment and a quill, and wrote a short note. Looking around, he realized how much he missed Ginny. Everything in this room reminded him of her. The posters, the shoes strewn about, (he spotted the heels she'd worn for the wedding) even the wide open closet.

He'd wondered where she was, or if she was even safe. He had realized they were Apparating a second before they went, so he distracted the others for a second, and when he looked back, they were gone.

He had finally caught up with the rest of his group, and they scolded him for wandering off like a little boy. Then they Apparated back to the Manor, by which time it was 9:00. He immediately went up to his room, took a long, hot shower, and he'd been in bed ever since.

After a while, he drifted off to sleep. When he woke up at around 7:30 the next morning, his hopes of ever seeing Ginny again had disappeared. After that, there was no way her parents would let her go back to Hogwarts.


	7. Chapter 7

**Really sorry about the wait, I've been pretty preoccupied. I've kind of guilted myself into updating...**

**Anyway, hope you like it! And remember to review!**

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><p><strong>Ginny, September 1st<strong>

The platform was steamy, but nobody was talking. It was like last year, when nobody'd been talking 'cause they'd just figured out the Voldemort was back. Now, the silence was because the majority of the people here were afraid. Afraid of being punished, afraid of Voldemort, afraid of letting their children back on the train. I remembered back to my first year, when the platform was filled with laughing families, crying mothers, comforting fathers, and the cries of owls. When you could find Lee Jordan, Fred, and George, joking around with some new invention they'd cooked up, or someone's cat rubbing against your ankles until their owner picked her up with a smiled apology.

Nobody spoke as they moved towards the train doors. I saw Mum's eyes glistening with tears, and hoped she wouldn't begin to cry. I spotted Luna, made eye contact, and she fell into step next to me. Despite our being sixteen, she linked pinkies with me in a silent bid to stay together.

Finally, we reached the doorway. With steam billowing around us, I hugged Mum and Dad and felt tears trickle down my own face. I knew it wasn't likely, but I might just not see them again. I released them and watched Mum gather Luna into an embrace as well. Luna's father hadn't come to the platform with her. We turned toward the interior of the train just as the doors closed. Luna quickly found an empty compartment, and I rushed to the window just in time to see hundreds of parents' faces looking at the departing train. Some looked sad, some relieved, and some blank, with no expression at all.

We sat down. Luna opened her mouth as if to say something, then closed it and took out an old copy of the Quibbler, shuffled to a page in the middle, and began to read. I dozed off, not having gotten much sleep last night. I heard Charou tapping on the window, using the pattern I'd taught her.

I rose, blinking blearily, and let in the owl. She flew to my shoulder, and saw that it was almost dark out. I sat back on the seat, tapped Luna on the shoulder. She looked up from the dog-eared magazine.

"We'll be there in about 30 minutes," I said quietly, speaking for the first time in many hours. She nodded and put the Quibbler away.

I was turning back to Charou, whose feathers were beaded with rain, when a flash of white outside the compartment door caught my eye. I gasped. _Draco._

He stood outside our compartment, in the narrow hallway, and appeared to be bullying a couple of third years. I saw his hand, though, slide open the door a tiny bit and begin to work a slip of paper through the slit. I jumped up, and pretending to switch sides to sit next to Luna, reached over and caught the paper just as it fell through the door. I touched Draco's warm hand in thanks, and he walked away.

I opened the note, with Luna reading eagerly over my shoulder. I don't think she knew what was going on at all.

The note held three words.

_What's your decision?_

I got what he meant immediately. Did I want to pretend the kiss didn't happen, or did I want to continue a secret relationship?

"What's that mean?" Luna sounded clueless.

I decided to start with the beginning. "You know Draco Malfoy?"

"Yes…" she said dubiously.

"Well, over the summer," I said, speaking low to make sure we weren't heard, "I went on a raid with the Order, and long story short, I got really screwed, and Draco saved me."

Luna seemed unsurprised. She waited as if waiting for me to get to the point. "And…?"

"And, well, we were owling for a while, but then he had to come and attack my brother's wedding, as you know. We had to stop writing after that."

"Okay, so that's your first letter in, how long? And he just writes three words?"

A knock at the door sounded and we both froze. I mouthed to her, "I'll explain later," and walked to the door. There stood someone I hadn't heard from in a while. A broad smile broke across my face.

"Neville!" I let him in, and he sits down.

"I'm not sure what just happened. I'm pretty sure that Malfoy just came to my compartment and told me to come here."

I smiled. "Well, now that you're here, anything you want to say?"

"Nah, I'm fine."

"How's your grandmother?"

"On the run. Sounds pretty happy, actually."

Luna and I laughed. "Uh oh," Luna said. "We've only got ten minutes to change. Neville, turn around."

Neville complied and sat awkwardly as we changed into our Hogwarts robes. Mine were a little short at the ankle, so I took out my wand and brought the hem down a little. I brought my hair up into a high ponytail. Recently, I'd braided a tiny section of my hair with glow in the dark beads, creating what Dad called a "micro-braid." The micro-braid stood out among the sleek red.

When Luna was done as well, we told Neville he could turn around again, and he gathered his robes from his trunk (which he'd brought to our compartment). We turned so he could change. I wrote a quick reply to Draco, tucked it into my robes.

Five minutes later, we were on the platform.

**Draco, on the platform**

He scanned the sea of students, trying to convince himself that he was looking for people misbehaving. It was one of his duties as Head Boy, after all. But, no, his mind kept going back to searching for one, bright red head, possibly accompanied by a white blond one.

Then he saw her. Ginny was walking through the crowd with the Lovegood girl, head down, with long strides. He saw Longbottom tagging along behind her. All other duties erased from his mind, Draco fell into step a bit behind them. He kept an eye on Ginny's red hair, and just when she was about to step into the carriage behind her friends, he grabbed her arm.

Draco spun her around, forcing himself to be rough with her. "Well, if it isn't Weasley. Tell me, how'd that wedding go? Have you been living off water ever since? I figure it must have cost quite a lot…"

"Sod off, Malfoy," she spat, making the name sound like an insult. Both Lovegood and Longbottom looked on apprehensively, like they weren't sure if they could trust him.

"Oh, but I don't think I will! I'm just wondering how your summer went… really, how did you survive? I suppose your Mum's fat would have provided enough food for the entire family for a while, though…"

Ginny looked outraged. Draco hoped she knew he didn't really mean it. She drew back her small fist and punched his chest repeatedly , accentuating each strike with a word. "I-_said-_sod-off-Malfoy!

Draco heard Crabbe and Goyle, the morons, chuckling behind him. Feeling sick, he began to laugh as well. "See you around, Weaselette." He turned back to the platform and tried to ignore the sound of her carriage clattering away. Now he couldn't wait to get back to the dormitory. She'd given him an answer, and he wanted to read it. As she'd punched him, she'd dropped a small square of parchment into his shirt pocket.

After that, the minutes dragged by painfully slowly. He found himself sitting next to Blaise at the Slytherin table, ignoring Snape's dry beginning of year speech. "Mate, you okay?" Blaise muttered to him. Draco didn't answer. "C'mon, say something!"

Draco stared down at the table beneath him. He was lost in thoughts about what the note might contain: a yes, a no, a lipstick print, a- wait. Ginny wouldn't do something that…Pansy-ish.

"Drakey?"

Draco sighed. Speak of the devil.

"Drakey, what's wrong?"

"Nothing." Draco snapped at Pansy.

Blaise cast a dark look at Draco, then grabbed his arm and led him out of the Great Hall. Snape raised an eyebrow at them, but said nothing. Soon, Draco was in the Slytherin common room. "Out with it, then, Mate. C'mon." Blaise said expectantly.

Draco reached into the pocket of his shirt, brought out the note. He was suddenly scared to open it. What if it said she wanted to ignore him? Could he live through knowing that he meant nothing to her?

"What's that?" Blaise took the note out of his hand, rustled the parchment open. He read to the bottom. "_Damn._"

"What's it say?" Draco asked his friend.

"Here." The paper was thrust into his hand.

_Draco,_

_Do you honestly think I'd be so stupid as to let a brilliant opportunity like this slip away? That I'll ever find anyone else that would be willing to give his life to save mine? I know I'm very fortunate to have someone like you looking out for me, and I want you to know that I'm not using you, and I never will. I love you. (I only just realized this.)_

_Meet me at the astronomy tower Saturday?_

_Love,_

_G._

Draco's jaw dropped.

**Ginny, Gryffindor common room**

Neville and I were sitting on the cushy chairs in the common room. We had been talking about something, but I couldn't remember what it was. Dean and Seamus came over and sat down. "So," Dean began, "You have any idea where Harry and Ron and Hermione are?"

"No," I said. "They Disapparated during the wedding raid."

Seamus sighed. "So now what? What're we gonna do for the next year, with them gone?"

"Yeah, I know. No detentions, no Potions class with Snape…" Dean agreed.

I yawned. "I'm going to bed." I rose and walked up the stairs to my dormitory. I really wasn't tired, but I wanted to see if Draco'd written back.

It was as if nothing had changed. The beds, the room, the bathroom, it was all the same. The only thing that was different was the mood. The girls I shared a room with were usually giggly and gossipy. But nobody was talking. They sat on their beds, reading or just staring into space. One or two nodded as I walked in.

"There's a letter for you," said Harper, a raven-haired girl of about six feet. She pointed to the general direction of my bed. I ran over and picked it up from the mattress._ Was it from Draco?_

Disappointment flooded me as I turned the envelope over. I recognized the handwriting as Mum's. I cracked the seal on it and unfolded the parchment.

_Ginny,_

_I know how eager you are to continue at Hogwarts, so I'll keep the nagging to a minimum. Just remember, be careful and try to get everything done on time so that they have no reason to punish you. Don't be late to classes, don't talk back, and if you have problems, make sure you let Minerva know. She'll be able to help. _

_I hope you'll at least visit at Christmas, even if you don't have any trouble. And don't write back, we don't want them to be able to track our home._

_Love you always,_

_Mum and Dad_

I closed the letter. Dean was right. What were we going to do but homework? There was no Invisibility Cloak, no Marauder's Map, no Umbridge, nothing.

I changed into my pajamas, climbed into bed, and was asleep within minutes.

I woke way too early the next morning. I dressed in my school robes and crept through the silent dormitory to the common room. I sat in silence, tracking my watch as it went from 5:00 to 6, then 7. I wondered why Draco hadn't written back yet. Had he been scared off by my letter? I admit it was a bit early in our relationship, but I knew I loved him.

At 7:30, I decided it was time for breakfast. I trudged through the corridors, jumping at every small noise. I passed some ghosts I swear hadn't been there last year, a few I recognized from their real lives, ones I'd seen fighting at the end of last year.

I finally made it down to the Great Hall. There were only a few people there, most in Slytherin. A few of them whispered taunts at me or stuck out legs. I stepped neatly over the feet and continued to the nearly empty Gryffindor table.

"Neville," I said to my friend, who I'd never seen down here before 8:00, "What's got you up so early?"

"Couldn't sleep. Decided that if I'm going to be up, I might as well do something that pisses other people off." Neville yawned.

I laughed. "And that would be…?"

"Just sitting here. The Slytherins hate it. I think they want me to go and rub their shoulders or something."

Still smiling, I began piling pancakes and sausage onto my plate. I dug in, reveling in the wonderful taste. Neville raised an eyebrow.

"Hungry?"

"Didn't notice it until now, but, yes."

We ate in silence for a while until everyone else started to come down. Dean and Seamus sat with us, but looking down the table, I could see how few people had come back to Hogwarts this year. Barely half of the Gryffindor house had returned. In contrast, Slytherin's table had barely a seat to spare.

Professor McGonagall was coming down the table, making up schedules. She handed mine to me and I saw that my first class was Transfiguration. I sighed in relief. At least I wouldn't have to start the day with a Death Eater class.

Full, I excused myself from the table. I went to the dormitory to collect my books, then walked to McGonagall's classroom. I was the first one there, but saw the lesson plan already up on the board. I took out my books and waited.

A while later, I saw Luna walk into the classroom. I stood up and hugged her. "Thank God you're in this class as well!" She smiled and sat next to me. We compared schedules, saw that we had two classes together, this one and 4th hour Divination.

As we spoke, the rest of the class began to fill up. Professor McGonagall walked into the room. The class today was no work, only talking about the expectations for the year. "This class will not be the same as your fifth year. You are already preparing for your NEWTS next year. The tests will be more difficult, the exams more carefully watched than even your OWLS. Do not take them lightly." The stern Professor continued in this thread for a while then dismissed the class.

Next, I had Defense against the Dark Arts. Sighing, I walked to what had been Lockhart's room, then Lupin's, Moody's, Umbridge's, Snape's, and now Amycus Carrow's. I took my seat, and the ugly-looking man sitting at Professor Carrow's desk sneered at me. I grew anxious when I saw that I had this class with the Slytherins.

I said nothing to the man and took at seat next to Harper, who had this class as well. The rest of the class filed in, and I saw a couple Slytherins I knew smirk at me. Could everyone in that house do the Malfoy smirk?

The ugly man at the front stood up. "I am Professor Amycus Carrow." I was surprised. Surely, this short, frog-faced man couldn't be a Death Eater! "You may call me sir or professor. There will be no misbehaving in this class or," he paused to survey the class with his piggy eyes, "you will be severely punished."

The Slytherins smiled at this, but the Gryffindors shifted uneasily. "You! Weasley, am I correct?" Carrow pointed at me. I nodded. "Stand up." I stood. "What is the incantation for the Cruciatus Curse?"

"Crucio," I whispered.

"What was that? Didn't _quite_ catch it."

"Crucio," I repeated, louder.

"And how would you know this?"

I didn't answer.

"I _asked _you a question." Spittle beaded on Carrow's thick lips.

"We learned in third year."

He smiled grossly. "Yes, my dear friend Barty. I heard he got the Kiss, though. Unfortunate. And how else would you know the curse?"

I knew what he was aiming for. He knew about the raid, wanted to humiliate me in front of the Slytherins. I muttered something unintelligible.

"Speak up, girl!"

"It's been used on me." I spoke it loud and clear, already fed up with this idiot.

Carrow laughed. "I know it has, girl. I had the pleasure of hearing the story from Dolohov himself. Someone stopped him from killing you, though. Really too bad…"

He trailed off, and I sat back down as his attention turned away from me.

Three hours later, I was sitting with Neville at lunch, recounting the encounter with the mad professor.

**Draco, at lunch**

Draco was still ignoring Blaise's repeated question about who the letter was from. He was preoccupied, staring at the back of Ginny's shimmering hair.

"You know, you should really stop glaring at Weasley. It's creep- wait. That's her, isn't it?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Draco lied lamely.

"Oh, c'mon, Mate, she's the one who wrote that letter! G for Ginny!"

Draco ran his hands through his hair.

"What letter, Drakey?" Pansy asked in her high, nasal voice.

For the second time in a row, Blaise dragged him out of the Great Hall. "What's going on between you two? You and Weasley?"

Draco sighed. "We met at a raid over the summer. Dolohov was using the Cruciatus Curse on her, so I stunned him…"

"Why the hell'd you do that? You could'a gotten killed!"

"I dunno. So, anyway, we were writing , and then I had to go attack her brother's wedding-"

Blaise winced.

"Then she said she loved me."

Blaise looked at him expectantly. "Well…?"

"Well, what?"

"Do you love her or not?"

Draco was stunned. Blaise, playing the romantic?

"I-I," Draco stammered. Then he knew. "Yeah, I do."


	8. Chapter 8

Really sorry I haven't been updating, I know, I'm a terrible person. I've been having finals and such, but now they're over and I've got nothing to stop me! Well, maybe except for that little bit of writer's block I've got. Dang.  
><strong>Lots of gooeyness in this chapter. Just a warning. It has slight suggestions of sex, but really, now, this Fic is rated T, and I think we should be able to handle it. Right?<br>**I'm so very very sorry about my complete and utter lack of updates.

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><p><strong>Ginny, Friday<strong>

I'd always read about the days dragging on when you're waiting for something, but never actually witnessed it. Now, however, I couldn't believe how slowly my classes went by. I was waiting for something: a reply from Draco, a letter from Mum saying that Voldy had committed suicide or something. Either of them seemed equally likely.

Maybe it was waiting for Saturday, when I was going to sneak out to the astronomy tower and see if Draco would come. Right now, though, I was in Herbology, barely listening to Professor Sprout talking about the usefulness of some plant.

With the shortage of students, I had found that many sixth and seventh year classes had been joined together. Right now, I was standing next to Terry Boot, a boy in Draco's house, who was nodding off. His face was a mess of fading bruises; he'd mouthed off to one of the Carrows, I'd heard. I nudged him awake and tried to ignore the flash of white hair I'd seen outside the greenhouse. It could have been Luna… but no, Luna was here, on my other side.

I sighed, loudly enough for Professor Sprout to hear. "Miss Weasley," she said, "Would you care to add something about Alihotsy?"

"No, Professor, sorry." I did know a lot about Alihotsy, actually, though I'd learned it from eavesdropping on the Order's meetings. Anyone will immediately turn hysterical if they eat the leaves.

Sprout turned back to her lecture, and I nudged Terry awake again. Why he wasn't getting crap from the Herbology professor, I didn't know. My mind drifted off again, but I was shaken by Luna waving her hand in front of my face. "Ginny," she said, "we can go. And I have this note from Neville for you." She slipped a piece of parchment into my hands. I tucked it into my robes without looking, always suspicious of onlookers. Luna had already gone ahead.

Was it Thursday or Friday? I ran my schedule through my head, thinking about my classes on the different days. I had Potions next, it must be Friday. Even more anticipation built in me at the realization.

I trudged through the corridors, and was pushed aside just as I was turning the corner to Slughorn's office. "Watch it, Weasley," Draco snarled as he strode past.

I shook my head, wondering how this was ever going to work.

**Draco, Friday**

Draco savored that small contact with Ginny like a starving man. He had to focus on being nasty to younger students through the hallways; his mind was otherwise occupied. Really, it was amazing, what one, small, red haired girl could do.

As he slipped into Muggle Studies, five minutes late, he knew they were doing something important. The entire class was silent, but the seventh year Gryffindors still found time to glare reproachfully at him. Professor Carrow nodded at him and made no mention of his tardiness.

"Class," the professor said, "Today, we'll be learning what _pigs_," she emphasized the word, "Muggles really are. The Dark Lord has conquered a small Muggle town and gotten some of us to record it."

Draco knew that, by recording, she meant took pictures of the entire dirty business. Carrow stuck her hand under her desk and drew some pictures out. She tapped them with her wand and they grew, about 2 foot squares each. They hovered in front of the class, and they watched, some in glee, some in horror.

They watched as the family of Muggles went along their regular business: Reading the newspaper, making coffee with those weird machines. A few young children walked in, laughing, coated in mud and grass stains.

"See what they do?" Carrow pointed out, smiling evilly. "They cover themselves in mud. They're common animals!"

The photographs continued to cycle, showing one of the children sneak into the pantry and come back out with a cookie grasped in his pudgy baby fingers.

"And they're thieves too! Do you see how uncivilized that is?" Draco knew she was just grasping at nothing to try to make a point.

The mother of the children, with a cup of steaming coffee in her hand, scolded the cookie-stealer lightly, smiling—then a flash of green light connected with her, and she collapsed to the ground. The children had different reactions; one screamed, another approached the body of his mother hesitantly, then ran over to his father, who'd set down the newspaper and was hurrying over to his wife. Another flash burst through the image, and the screaming child dropped to the ground.

There was a sharp intake of breath around the room.

One by one, every member of the family was limp upon the ground. Looking around, Draco saw tears in more than one pair of eyes in the classroom. He focused back on the pictures, saw black robed figures enter the view, laughing. One of them cruelly kicked the smallest child aside. Draco closed his eyes and tried not to concentrate on what was happening around him. He tuned it out, the laughs and cries of his classmates, and there, unbidden, was Ginny. He let his mind wander a bit, sifting through his encounters with her.  
>"Mr. Malfoy! May I ask what you are doing?"<p>

"I was only resting, Professor. I was up all night doing homework last night, Ma'am."  
>"Very well." The woman turned away from him<br>Draco once again let his mind ramble, waiting for the class to end.

**Ginny, Saturday, 10:00**

I crept out of the portrait hole and jumped down, landing in a crouch. I moved out of the way and looked back just in time to see Neville leap onto the spot where I'd just been. He cast disillusionment charms over both of us and we continued down the corridor to the Ravenclaw common room. Luna was already there, hidden by magic as well.  
>We moved down the corridor, ducking into alcoves anytime a ghost or teacher passed. Finally, we made it to the second floor, where we stopped at a stretch of blank wall. I saw Neville pull something from his robes. He pointed his wand at the wall and began to carve words out.<br>_Dumbledore's Army was never defeated.  
><em>Luna and I looked around cautiously, hoping the grating noise of the stone wouldn't be enough to wake anyone. Neville handed us the small packets of red Muggle paint. We could have painted in the cracks with magic, but he'd told us that he'd mixed a special magical powder into it. The powder had reacted with the chemicals in the pigment, making it so that nothing but time could bring the concoction out of the stone.

We tore open the packets and dipped our fingers in. They came out gooey and dripping and the three of us began to trace inside the engraved lettering on the wall. I began to work it meticulously into the word _Army_ while Luna started on _Dumbledore's_. Neville was meanwhile slipping his paint-covered fingers into _never_.  
>Later, about an hour, we'd layered a few coats into the words. All of us had hands stained by the paint, and I was willing to bet my last Galleon that it wouldn't be coming out for a couple weeks. I was trying to rub the slippery mixture off my fingers when I glanced at my watch and cursed my carelessness. I had only fifteen minutes to get to the Astronomy Tower to meet Draco.<br>I gave a quick explanation to Neville and Luna, then dashed off up the staircases. I was just entering the corridor leading to the main staircase to the fourth floor when footsteps stopped me. I ducked behind a suit of armor, brushing the tarnished metal as I moved. It creaked ominously and the dark shape in front of me paused. The form turned in my direction.  
>I barely stifled a gasp as I recognized him. It was Snape, his lank hair still disgusting looking; his robes still making him look like a bat. It was easy to believe that this man had killed Dumbledore.<br>He peered in my direction again, and I held my breath and tried not to bump into the armor again. Finally, he turned on his heel and walked in the opposite direction. I breathed a sigh of relief and eased out from the alcove, then glanced at my watch. I had barely ten minutes to get to the towers, nearly four floors above.  
>I broke back into a full out sprint, feeling the stairs fly under my feet, and my legs were burning by the time I reached the seventh floor. I stumbled up one last flight of stairs and staggered into the cold air on the Astronomy Tower. I was two minutes late.<p>

For a second, I looked around, seeing nothing but the Forbidden Forest around me. Then Draco stepped out, caught me in his arms, and brought my mouth to his. It was bliss after a week with nothing but Death Eaters around me. I wrapped my hands around his neck, pulling him closer, and felt him tighten his arms about me.  
>We stayed like this, wrapped around each other, for minutes. Finally I pulled away, gasping. I'd already been short on breath from my run, and now my lungs were battling with my body. One needed air, the other needed Draco.<p>

"I was so worried," he said lowly. "I thought you'd been caught. I kept thinking I was hearing you scream."  
>"It was just… the wind," I panted. "I'm fine." He reached back to where my fingers were still on his neck.<br>"What's on your hands?"  
>I tugged them away quickly. "Nothing."<br>He felt at his neck and his hand came away stained. I swore internally as he asked, "What's this?"  
>"Paint."<br>"Why do you have paint on your hands? At midnight?"  
>"Couldn't sleep. I was painting."<br>"I've never known you to be the artistic type."

"You haven't known me very long, have you?"  
>"Ginny, what have you been doing? I know you weren't painting."<br>"I can't tell you."

"Why not?"

His question shook me. Why couldn't I tell him? I sighed. "I was with Neville and Luna."  
>"What were you doing?"<br>"Neville carved words on the wall. We were painting them in."  
>"Oh, Ginny…" he sighed.<br>I spun around to face him. "What? You want me to stop? You don't approve?" I put as much venom as I could muster into the last word. His hand flashed out and I flinched, though he'd only been reaching for my hands.

"You think I'd hit you, Ginny? What kind of man do you believe me to be?" he pulled out his wand and started to siphon the gobs of paint from my fingers, leaving only dark red stains behind. He did the same to his neck where I'd held him.  
>"I've spent a week around Death Eaters. I don't know what to believe anymore."<br>"Ginny…" He hesitated. "I… I love you. Naturally, I don't want you to put yourself in more danger than you have to be in."  
>This information stunned me. Yes, I'd told him I loved him in the note, but I hadn't expected him to return my feelings so quickly. At his words, I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around his waist. He responded, tilting my chin upward and catching my lips with his. I kissed him hungrily, my now-paintless hands sliding upwards to tangle in his white blond hair. Draco slipped his hands through my own wind-blown mane, framing my face in his hands. My fingers slid around his wrists, holding him tight against me as he explored my lips.<br>My mouth opened of its own accord, and he groaned quietly, deepening the kiss. His hands skated down, farther, until I had to break away, winded.  
>"I'm not having sex with you. Not yet."<br>He seemed startled. "I didn't ask you to."  
>"Your hands did."<p>

"Unintentionally. You make me get carried away, love. You make me want to get carried away."  
>I smiled at his words. He stepped back in front of me and placed his hands on either side of my head, on the battlement wall. "Here. Better?"<br>"Much," I managed, right before he kissed me again. Draco pressed me back into the wall, and I made a small noise of enjoyment in the back of my throat. His mouth slid down to the underside of my jaw, though once again I pushed him away before he could give me a mark.  
>"I can't be walking around school with little purple bruises all over my neck, Draco. People aren't imbeciles."<br>He grinned devilishly. "As you wish, love."  
>His attention returned to my mouth, and I let myself get lost in him. "I love you," I told him in between kisses.<br>"I know," he replied.  
>"Arrogant git," I groaned. I looked up and saw the moon, high in the sky. It reminded me. I uncoiled my arms from Draco's neck and looked at my watch. It was nearly one. "I've got to get back. Someone's going to notice."<br>He sighed, stepping back from me. "Can you come back next week?"  
>"I'll try," I said, starting to open the door. He didn't have to worry about being caught in the corridors, what with his status as Head Boy. In contrast, if I was caught, I'd probably end up with a week's worth of detentions with the Carrows.<p>

I looked back, then ran up to him and caught him in an embrace. "I love you," he murmured into my ear. I tightened my arms around him, then let go.  
>"See you tomorrow," I whispered, and ducked through the door.<p>

**Draco, after Ginny left**

Draco gave Ginny a few minutes head start, then headed out of the door after her. He cast no spells upon himself and strode through the corridors like the arrogant, spoiled boy everyone thought he was. Once, he came upon a ghost who made no mention of his passing, and soon arrived at the Slytherin common room. Haven given the password, (_Mudblood_), he trudged up to his room. He'd been given private chambers, a feature that either came with being head boy or the son of Lucius Malfoy. He wasn't sure.  
>Collapsing on the bed, he fell into an exhausted sleep.<p>

On Monday morning, Draco rose late for his first class, Herbology. Figuring it was useless anyway, he walked out of the deserted common room and down to the kitchens. As he entered the room, dozens of house elves swarmed about his ankles. He spotted the most brightly colored one ducking behind a counter.  
>"Dobby," he called. "Please, come here."<br>The familiar elf peeked around the edge of the counter, then reluctantly approached Draco. "What can Dobby do for master, sir?"  
>"Dobby, please, forgive me for how my family's treated you."<br>"It was not Master Draco's fault."  
>"Don't call me that. I'm not your master anymore."<br>"Yes, sir. Can Dobby do anything for sir?"  
>"Some breakfast would be nice. You probably remember my favorite."<br>Dobby smiled shyly, then disappeared. Draco sat down at one of the tables. A few minutes later, the little elf appeared under a tray of food. He set it down and Draco dug in. After a minute, Dobby asked shyly, "Has Sir heard about the vandalism?"  
>Draco stopped mid-bite. "Vandalism?" He'd heard about it from Ginny, but now that everyone in school knew, the full danger of the task hit him.<br>"Yes, sir. There are words carved into the wall on the second floor, sir. Dobby has heard tell that not even Master Snape can get it off!"  
>"What does it say, Dobby?"<br>Dobby looked around, then leaned in. "It says, _Dumbledore's Army was never defeated, _sir."  
>"I suppose that's correct, though. There are still a few members in Hogwarts, aren't there?"<br>"Yes, sir. Dobby is worried, though, for Master Harry's family. And, of course, Master Harry. Dobby was looking forward to seeing Master Harry this year, sir."  
><em>Family?<em> Draco wondered. Oh. He meant the Weasleys. "Yes, Dobby, I'm worried too."  
>"Please excuse Dobby, sir. He must go help prepare lunch now, sir." The little elf bobbed away. Draco returned to his breakfast.<br>He was just scraping his plate when a hush fell over the crowd of elves. Draco looked up and saw his best friend closing the doors to the kitchens.  
>"Draco!" Blaise called, wading through the elves. "Why aren't you in class?"<br>"I could ask you the same thing, mate."  
>Blaise sat down, his expression grim. "You heard?" Another elf set a tray down in front of him, and he began to eat.<br>"Yeah. She told me last night."  
>"This isn't going to be easy to hide, Draco. You know she'll be caught."<br>"I tried, honestly. There's some part of her that thinks this is the best way."  
>"Best way to do what?"<br>"I'm not sure. "An elf stopped at their table and whisked away Draco's dishes, then disappeared. "So why're you here?"  
>"Dunno. Just wanted to know how things went last night. What's on your neck?"<br>"It's the paint Ginny was using before she came up last night."  
>"Damn. That stuff's not coming out anytime soon."<br>"You should have seen her hands. Looked like she'd just murdered someone."  
>"Good thing it's raining. You both need an excuse to cover up."<br>They both paused and Blaise took a few bites, then Draco sighed. "You got girl problems, mate?"  
>"No…"<br>"Yes, you do."  
>"I dunno. There's this Ravenclaw in our year."<br>"Lovegood?"  
>Blaise's head snapped up from his eggs. "Of course not! I wouldn't fancy your girlfriend's best friend! Besides, Luna's in Ginny's year."<br>"Just checking. What's her name?"  
>"Natalie Falcone."<br>"Isn't she their Seeker?"  
>"The very same. Pretty good, from what I've heard."<br>Draco smiled. "And I've heard she's pretty popular among the guys. Good luck, mate." He stood up. Blaise followed suit, leaving the meager remnants of his breakfast, and they walked back out of the kitchen. They had the same class right now, Defense against the Dark Arts. On their way back to the Slytherin common room to collect their books, they passed the writing on the wall.  
><em>Dumbledore's Army was never defeated. <em>The letters were filled in with dark red paint exactly the shade of that on Draco's neck. A few drips had escaped down the wall, and Draco had a flashback to his second year, the writing on the wall. _Her skeleton will lie in the chamber forever._  
>Ginny had written that, he knew, and now this. He turned away from the words.<p>

Continuing on to the common room, Blaise said, "You know what'll happen when she's caught."  
>Draco knew. Ginny and her friends would be hurt, most likely killed. "Yeah, I know. I don't know what I can do to stop her."<br>Draco grabbed his bag from his room and met Blaise back in the dark green common room. Together, they walked back up to Carrow's classroom. The Professor made no mention of their lateness and continued in his lecture on the Ghostly Head curse.  
>"This curse is used to create a smoky green head before the victim that can be used to cause unconsciousness. It is created wandlessly, summoning some of the user's own magical stores. The longer the head is conjured, the more time it will take for the user to recover…"<br>Draco had learned this curse from his father over three years ago. One couldn't say he'd had a self-indulgent childhood, still, one couldn't say he'd had an unproductive one, either. He'd spent almost a week scaring the kitchen staff with floating green heads, but then his father tried to teach him a different curse and Draco's magic had been so depleted, nothing but sparks had come out of his wand. Draco had been beaten after that.  
>A shiver ran unpleasantly down his spine. Draco watched Professor Carrow's piggy eyes sweep the Hufflepuffs evilly, most likely looking for a smudge of red paint. Remembering the marks on his neck, Draco tugged the collar of his robes higher on his throat. The Death Eater's gaze stopped momentarily on Draco, then moved on in search of traitors.<br>"How much longer 'till lunch?" Blaise intoned, leaning over to Draco.  
>"Mate, you just had breakfast!"<br>"I know. I'm hungry."  
>"No, you're not," Draco said, grinning. "You just want to see that Ravenclaw again."<p>

Blaise shot him a dirty look. "Git."  
>"You're not denying it, though."<p>

Blaise turned back to Carrow, studiously ignoring Draco, who was meanwhile trying-and failing- to concentrate on the Professor. He glanced at his watch and saw that there were still fifteen minutes until the end of class, then they still had Transfiguration to go through until lunch would be served.  
>Draco dozed until the end of class, and was shaken awake by Blaise when they were dismissed. Together, they walked to McGonagall's classroom and sat down near the back.<br>When class started, McGonagall cast an eagle eye over the students, then waved her wand. People jumped as small cages appeared on the desks, each one holding a poky hedgehog. "You," she said imperiously, "Are to change these animals. Transfigure them into something that will be useful to you at least until the end of the school year. Once every month from now, you will turn in an essay to me on how this object has been of use to you."

A Gryffindor raised her hand. "Professor, how is this related to Transfiguration?"  
>"It is not," said McGonagall. "Not directly. This is to teach you to prepare for the outside world. People must learn to use their resources, know how to do what they can with what they have. All of you," She paused to cast her gaze over her classroom, "will use this object at least once every month. Well, here you are. Get to it!"<p>

Every student in the room turned to another, chattering about what to make. Blaise was meanwhile changing his hedgehog from one animal to another. Draco focused on the forms: frog, cat, snake, porcupine, book bag, eel, clock, mini dragon, worm, falcon-

Blaise paused at this one. Then he waved his wand, rather haphazardly, and both the window and the cage broke open. The falcon looked around, then flew out of the window.  
>"Mr. Zabini! May I ask what you are doing?"<br>"Sorry, Professor. The window broke…" He trailed off, waving his hand in the general direction of the broken window.  
>"I see that. You will have to go without this assignment. You may look upon this as a relief, though I'm afraid that you will regret the loss of this object at one time." The remark sounded scarily like a threat, but McGonagall just turned away, sat down at her desk, and began to grade papers.<p>

Draco looked back at his hedgehog. He sighed heavily, wondering what on earth he was transform it into.

"Mate," Blaise hissed to Draco, "Just do what I did."

"Let it fly out the window? It's still a hedgehog, it would just go splat in the bushes."

"No, transform it into something, give it instructions, and let it go somewhere."

"And your instructions to the bird were…?"

"I made it fly to Natalie," Blaise said simply.

"Oh, man, you're in love."

"You're one to talk."

"Touche," Draco allowed. "So what should I turn it into?"

"I dunno. Something you think Ginny'll appreciate."

Draco thought, then waved his wand once. The hedgehog transformed at once, and became a small black cat. The cage popped open, and the cat jumped down and stalked out the door, tail held high.

"Professor," He said, raising his hand, "I lost mine too."

"What on earth happened, Malfoy?"

"I was experimenting with forms, and I accidentally made it into a fly. It just flew off."

The professor sighed. "Very well, you will both serve two detentions with me. 8:00, tomorrow and Wednesday evening."

"Yes, Professor," they chorused. The class was dismissed five minutes later, each student clutching one of a variety of items, from teapots to owls.

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><p>AN: So there goes! How was it for my first update in…how long? Please, review!


	9. Chapter 9

An update? Really?

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><p><strong>Ginny, Monday<strong>

"Do you know Natalie?" Luna asked me in her dreamy voice. We were in Divination, and Trelawney was doing everything but paying attention to her class.

"Natalie who?"

"Falcone."

I felt a spark of recognition. "Doesn't she play Seeker on the Ravenclaw team?"

"I think so. She got a bird yesterday."

"She got a what?"

"A bird. It just came down and sat on her shoulder."

"Did it attack her or something?"

"No. It wouldn't leave, though."

"Weird. What happened to it?"

"As far as I know, it's still with her."

The story slipped my mind for the rest of the day.

After dinner, when I was walking back up to Gryffindor tower, I dropped one of my gloves. As I knelt down to collect it while being covert about my red-stained hands, a greenish glint in the corner caught my eye. I slipped the glove on and watched the corner. I heard a small meow, and after a few seconds, a small, silky black cat walked out to me.

"Hello," I cooed, "where're you going?"

She rubbed against my legs and meowed again. I stood up and began to walk up to the Gryffindor common room. I had made it up a few flights of steps when I turned around again. There was the little cat, waiting patiently for me to continue walking.

"Go on," I said, waving my hand at her.

She cocked her head curiously, stood, and began to walk in front of me. I followed until we came to the portrait hole. She stretched against the wall and pawed at the Fat Lady, who shrieked indignantly.

"Defense," I told the Fat Lady, who threw me a scathing glance.

"Control your cat," she said, and swung open.

The common room was deserted. They were all still down at dinner, I supposed, or else had one of the many detentions dished out to the Gryffindors on a daily basis. The cat led me up to the girls' dormitory, chose my door, and stood impatiently, scratching at the corner of the door every few seconds.

I opened the door and let the cat in. For the life of me, I couldn't remember any of my roommates having confessed an allergy to cats, so all I could do was hope.

She sniffed around a bit until she found my bed. She jumped up and curled into a small curve, almost like a dark chocolate croissant.

I shrugged and walked back down to the common room. She could sleep there if she wanted; I could bring some food for her tomorrow.

Luna's story came to the forefront of my mind. Wasn't it a weird coincidence that two sixth year girls had unexplained animals come to them in one day?

I cast the thoughts from my mind. I'd think about that tomorrow.

The next day, I found the cat curled up in an armchair in the common room. She jumped down at my arrival and trotted ahead of me as I walked down to breakfast. When I reached the staircase that would lead to the kitchens, however, she ran off in that direction, leaving me alone.

"She knows where to go."

I spun to find Draco leaning against one wall. "What do you mean, Malfoy?"

"Just what I said. The cat'll be fine."

"You have something to do with this, don't you?"

"What's it to you, Weasley? Suddenly find yourself in love with a kitty?"

"Huh," I mused, "A cat, no, but a ferret, perhaps."

Draco's mouth twitched as he stalked off.

I continued down to breakfast and slid into the seat next to Neville. I noticed that he, too was wearing gloves, and his sleeves were pulled firmly down to his wrists.

"Any hope of getting this stuff off?" I hissed.

"Not as far as I can tell. Don't let anyone catch you talking about it, though. The Carrows are still fuming."

I sighed and picked at my grayish porridge. The food had gotten gloomier, I'd noticed, though it tasted as good as always. Nearly everything was darker than it was in previous years. Maybe the house elves were feeling the stress of war as well.

I stood and headed to Potions. Slughorn still managed to favor me among a large group of Slytherins, so I wasn't too apprehensive about this morning.

I walked in early, earning a cheerful greeting from the pudgy professor.

"Miss Weasley!" He said jovially, "Nice to see you this morning. Still working on that wonderful essay I read last week?"

"Just finished last night," I replied, brightening. Many Slytherins glowered at me. I no longer took part in the Slug Club dinners, but Slughorn took no offense and continued to treat me as a daughter or a favored niece.

I took my seat and, as class began, took out the appropriate ingredients. I was slicing my imp's toes into thin purple disks when a resounding explosion shook the Slytherin side of the classroom.

My knife slipped from the wet, furry surface of the toe and onto my finger. Pain shot through my hand as the knife continued down my palm, leaving a deep gash across my hand.

Slughorn was already cleaning up the mess that had been created by the explosion, scolding the red-faced boy and assigning him detention.

"Sir," I began shakily, "Professor-"

Slughorn turned toward me. "Weasley! What's wrong with your hand?"

"My knife slipped, sir, and the juice from the imp toe got into the cut." A wave of dizziness shook across me.

"Go to the hospital wing, girl. That juice is dangerous."

I stumbled out of the classroom. Which way was the hospital wing? Right? Left? Or was that another corridor I saw in front of me? Damn! How could I have practically lived here for six years and not know how to get to Madam Pomfrey?

A wave of darkness passed over my vision and I staggered back, leaning against the wall. When it passed, I saw a small black form rubbing over my ankles. I couldn't feel the fur it was covered in; I couldn't see if it was covered in fur. Everything was blurring, slipping sideways-

"Ginny!" The shout shook a wave of pain through my head and I cowered against the wall, whimpering quietly, trying to block out the aches that were forcing themselves through my body.

"Ginny, love, what happened? Why aren't you in the hospital wing?"

Dimly, I recognized Draco and withdrew my hand from my cloak. He recognized the poison from the juice and swore.

"God damn it. That useless excuse for a teacher should never have left you to go on your own. He should have bloody known…" He began to drag me down one of the hallways, muttering obscenities under his breath. Every step shoved the pain further through my veins and I struggled not to cry out.

"I know, love, I know it hurts. It seems like such a tiny thing, doesn't it? Such a small cut it can get through. It's not such a small cut, though, isn't it? What happened?"

"Cauldron explosion," I gritted through my clenched teeth. "Knife slipped."

Draco's jaw tightened and I concentrated on the sound of his breathing against my ear to keep the aches at bay. I realized I was smearing purplish imp venom and blood all over the front of his immaculate white shirt and tried to move my hand, but he caught it and held it.

"Don't, love. I don't care."

Another surge of dizziness flew across my vision and I cried out at the sudden pressure building in my head and hand. My knees collapsed and Draco caught me before I crumpled to the floor.

"Come on, Ginny. Just one more door to get to. You're fine." I shivered against him and tried stand, but he lifted me under his own power and continued to support me down the corridor. "You're not even skin and bones, love. Why haven't you been eating?"

I shuddered and took another step. "Not… hungry."

"Bollocks. You're hungry. I'll be watching next time you're in the Great Hall. You'll eat."

I said no more on the subject as a flood of pain that had currently been dammed in my hand overflowed and washed through every crevice of my being. I cried out again as Draco dragged me through the large doors to the Hospital Wing.

"Oh, my!" I heard Mrs. Pomfrey exclaim. "What happened?"

"Imp venom." My head, pressed against Draco's chest, vibrated with his voice.

"Oh, no," the nurse said, ushering us to a bed. "Horace warned me about this, he said it might happen, but I thought he was joking! I never thought he'd actually bring something containing imps into the school, it's much too dangerous…go get me a poison extracting potion, will you?"

I grasped weakly with my injured hand at Draco's wrist as he left, but withdrew it when more pain shot through it at the effort. Madam Pomfrey took began to wipe out the cut with a cloth. A sudden chill shocked me. She was seeing the stains from the paint right now. There was no hiding the dark red marks that had been hidden by the blood but now came to light.

Draco returned with the potion and Madam Pomfrey took it.

"She's lucky she had you, boy. A couple more minutes and we'd have her off to Mungo's right now. More time than that…"

Draco's icy grey eyes met mine. I could see the anxiousness he was struggling not to show, the anger at Slughorn's carelessness, and his impatience to know that I would be okay. The cool, gelatinous potion streamed over my hand and I jerked suddenly at the feeling of the venom suddenly reversing its path, traveling against the blood flow and back out of the wound. The effects of a sleeping spell fell over me and closed my eyes just to see Draco turning away and stalking back out the door.

**Draco**

He hated Slughorn. He hated that careless sod whose cauldron had exploded. He hated them all, anyone who had caused harm to Ginny. She would do better not to know it, though, he thought, as he realized how open he'd been with his emotions.

The one being he did not hate, however, was the cat. The cat had come to him while he was doing his Head Boy rounds in his free period.

It had been restless, pacing up and down, making a racket. He'd finally given in and followed it when he felt the bang from the potions classroom.

Now he had one more unanswered question on his mind. How on the bloody earth had that cat known that Ginny was going to be hurt?

"Lovegood," he said, nodding at the odd girl as she passed in the corridor.

Draco had traveled a few more steps before he had an idea. He stopped, dead in his tracks, and suddenly turned.

"Lovegood!" He called.

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><p>He resisted the urge to go back to the hospital wing. From the whispers that had passed through the hallway, he figured that Ginny was still unconscious, but that was not necessarily to be trusted, seeing as he had also heard that a spy had poisoned her and that she'd been bitten by a rogue acromantula from the nest she kept in her dormitory.<p>

"What's the deal with you, Mate?" Blaise was approaching his high-backed armchair. It was late in the Slytherin common room.

"What the hell do you think is the deal with me?" Draco snapped, spent.

"Just trying to keep up appearances. You're not supposed to be involved with her, you know." Blaise flopped down in the chair next to Draco. "You brought her to the wing?"

"I almost wish I hadn't."

"It was that bad?"

"It was bloody horrible." Blaise was silent. "You're waiting for details, aren't you?"

"No snakeskin, Salazar. What happened?"

"No snakeskin, Salazar? What the hell does that mean?"

"You know what it means. You just don't want to admit that you recognize a Muggle phrase. What happened?"

Draco sighed. "It was the cat, you know. The one you had me charm. I was doing my patrol and it came, making a hell of a racket, like it wanted me to follow it. The cauldron exploded just a few seconds after I started following it, actually.

"I thought the cat just thought maybe the classroom needed a bit of authority. But when I finally came up on the classroom door, she was just outside it. The door was closed and she obviously didn't know what was happening. She was just there, barely standing, blood all over her. And the sounds she made…"

He trailed off, shuddering at the memory of Ginny, her tiny moans worse than any scream he'd ever heard echoing through his father's manor.

Blaise got up and left, no doubt going up to bed. No Slytherin ever did anything resembling homework anymore, not since the Carrows took over with their bigoted assignments.

"Wait a second, Mate," Blaise said, pausing on the staircase, "How'd that cat know about it?"

"I didn't know myself. I passed Lovegood in the hall later, though, and she said something about how many animals used in schoolwork are already magically modified and if you use certain types of spells on them, they can develop odd abilities."

"Sounds legitimate to me, but you know how no one listens to old Xeno.

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><p>Please review! I'll update sooner if you do!<p> 


	10. Chapter 10

**Sorry for the delays I've now got three stories going and a bit of writer's block. I sorta took off on this chappie so tell me if it got a little over T rated. I hope not and I don't think it did, but I was half exhausted and determined to finish when I wrote this.**

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><p><strong>Ginny, the next day<strong>

I woke early. A zombie-like feeling had settled itself through my mind and I could feel no incentive to get up. I just wanted to lie here in the hospital wing, comfortably waiting…waiting for what?

"Ah, you're up," Madame Pomfrey said as she peeked past the curtain. Sweeping the barrier aside, she began to set a plethora of bottles upon my bedside table. Muttering, she began to sort through them. "Anti-paralysis, sleeping, no, laxative, definitely not-"

I blushed involuntarily.

"-deflating, no, blood replenishing, possibly- ah. Here we are. Pepper-Up."

I was amazed as I wordlessly took the potion she handed me. I'd never seen her so disorganized.

I swallowed the Pepper-Up and tried not to cough as the spiciness and steam washed over me. It passed in a few seconds, though, and I felt immediately de-zombified.

Madame Pomfrey sighed as she took the empty bottle from my hand, gathered up all the rest, and bustled past my curtain. "Oh, dear, my stocks are running so low…"

I found my clothes on the chair next to my bed and dressed clumsily, trying to avoid the bandage still wrapped around one hand. When I opened the door out of the hospital wing, Madame Pomfrey called to me.

"Miss Weasley, come back in a week, please, to get that bandage off. And go straight to class, no detours!"

I muttered an affirmative and went in search of Draco. He should be getting out of Potions in a few minutes, so I walked up to Gryffindor tower to fetch my books. When I emerged, I had just enough time to hurry down to Slughorn's room before class ended.

I melted into the shadows beside the door until I saw Draco. Pushing away from the wall, I trailed him for a few strides before speeding up, roughly bumping against him and continuing to walk away without a glance.

I turned into a rarely used side corridor and continued until there was no doubt that I was out of sight. A few moments later, Draco followed me and caught me up in an embrace.

I gasped for air. "Draco…can't breathe…"

He set me down, but didn't remove his hands from me. "I was so worried about you."

"I'm…okay," I said, still trying to regain my breath.

"How are you feeling? Is there something wrong?"

I smiled. "No…just wanted to see you before I went…back to class."

"I'm glad." He brought me into his arms again, gentler this time, and I felt his lips press under my ear. "I love you," he whispered.

I hugged him back, tight as I could, and savored the warmth of his embrace. "Love you too. I've missed enough classes, though. I should get back to Slughorn's room."

He pulled back and started on his way back down the corridor. "Wait a few minutes before you go," he said quietly. "There are still people in the corridors."

I saw him disappear and quickly followed in his tracks. A voice interrupted me when I emerged from the corridor.

"I just saw Malfoy come from this doorway, Weasley." Alecto Carrow's ugly face leered at me.

I hadn't waited long enough. "Professor, ma'am, what's your point?"

"I know for a fact that this corridor is a dead end."

"I-I got lost. I was just turning around when Malfoy came in. Aren't you wondering why he was there, too?"

"The Malfoys have their reasons. You, however, have practically been living here for the last five years. Getting lost is hardly and excuse."

"What else can I say, Professor?" I began backing up slowly.

"The truth, Weasley." She watched maliciously as I turned and tried not to run to the classroom.

The weeks leading up to the Christmas holidays went very slowly. At least, they did until it sunk in that I wouldn't be able to go to the Burrow and return to Hogwarts safely. Then time crawled along, my life only brightened by moments with Draco or Luna or Neville. Dumbledore's Army continued to paint its acts of rebellion upon the walls, and I began to fear that the stains of pigment would become permanently ingrained in my skin.

One night we were on the first floor, dangerously close to the Headmaster's office, painting one of the prefects' bathrooms.

Packets of red paint were being poured into the toilets, ingrained into the insides of the sink pipes, and rubbed over the mirrors. Neville had set to work spreading it across the light fixtures so everything came out bloody and shadowed. Seamus and Dean cast Unlimiting charms on the paint they flung up to the walls and ceiling so it continuously dripped to the floor, creating a sticky, dirty, blood colored carpet.

The other houses were doing their parts too; it had become too difficult to pass messages without using the now-malfunctioning charmed coins, so we all vandalized separately. The Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws were now being supplied with violent shades of yellow and blue paint, respectively. I had managed to slip a little green to Draco. He managed to smear it in inconspicuous nooks and crannies, places only the Carrows would see. He told me he enjoyed unnerving them and that it was one of the only small pleasures he got out of Hogwarts anymore.

I was just chucking another packet up to Neville when a loud bang echoed outside the door. The paint dropped to my feet and splattered in a wide echo of dots along the bottom of my robes. We both looked to the door just as it burst open.

"All right, you bloody wankers. Break up the party."

Amycus Carrow's voice echoed through the cavernous, paint coated bathroom. Nobody dared move.

Suddenly, Neville kicked over his ladder. "Run!" he yelled, and shot a hex at Amycus. The Death Eater dove to the side, creating an opening through which the DA members could escape. I saw Luna make it through, and Dean follow her with Seamus close on his heels. Neville and I tried to skirt around Carrow, but he returned our hexes with a look of near insanity. A slicing hex skimmed Neville's glove, and the paint on his skin made it impossible to tell whether it had broken the skin or not.

I shot a Stunner at Carrow and he went down, giving Neville a chance to duck through the doorway. "Ginny!" he shouted at me, "Ginny, can you get past him before he-"

Amycus was already stirring when Neville was cut off. "Alecto," he croaked, "did you get him?"

The sounds of scuffling from the doorway continued. "Amycus, he got away!" the awful voice of the other Carrow came through the door.

"No matter, Weasley's still here! We've got her!"

I tried not to look at him and searched for an escape. The only door was the one Amycus was blocking.

"_Expelliarmus_!" I surprised him and deftly caught his wand as it soared through the air. I chucked it into one of the red-stained toilets behind me and ran forward, straight for him. He dove to the side and ran for his wand.

"Alecto, grab her!"

I dashed out of the bathroom and down the corridor, away from the Headmaster's office. My robes ripped as her long fingernails caught in the fabric, but I kept running. Her feet pounded behind me all the way I ran; up to the second floor, then to the third, until I feared I could run no longer.

The Carrows' labored panting told me they couldn't either, and I put on a last burst of speed. For a moment I thought I was free.

Then a whirl of air hit me as the Cruciatus burst through my body. My lip split when I hit the floor and I struggled to breathe through the pain and the blood. It was worse than I remembered.

A silencing spell was cast over me. I writhed quietly now, the stones digging into my body. Slicing spells flew over me, intensifying the curse until I was begging silently for them to stop. Blood and paint ran into my eyes until I couldn't tell which was which.

"That'll teach you, bitch, to mess with us."

I almost laughed through my agony. It was such a cliché that I nearly couldn't stand it. The curses wracked me, and I wished to scream. Something that would make it possible to let out this tension building inside me.

"What was that?" One of the Carrows whipped around. "I just heard something."

The other looked from side to side. "I didn't hear anything. Probably just one of the ghosts."

The attack lessened upon me, and I struggled through the remaining pain to get to my feet. The Grey Lady and Nearly Headless Nick floated through a nearby wall.

"See, Amycus? I was right. They can't do anything to stop us-"

They turned back around, but I was already gone.

I continued to run until the liquid running into my vision forced me to stop. Then I walked quickly, trying and failing to blink the blood and paint from my eyes. Residual shocks shook me and I eventually had to stop completely.

"Ginny? Is that you?"

I looked around, searching for the source of the voice, mouthing wordlessly until I felt the silencing charm lift. "Neville?"

I sensed someone in front of me. "No, Ginny. It's me. Draco."

I gasped. "Draco?"

"Can't you see me, love?"

"No. I can't see anything. Oh, Draco-"

And suddenly, I was in his arms, crying my eyes out.

"Shh, love. Cry quietly. I want you to get that mess out of your eyes. A _Scourgify_ wouldn't be pleasant."

I miraculously felt the stinging begin to recede and my vision return.

"Is this blood or paint?"

"I-I can't tell. Both."

"What on earth happened?"

I shuddered. "We were in one of the prefects' bathrooms. They came- and- and everyone escaped but me. I ran but it wasn't enough."

"Who's they?" The low venom in his voice told me he recognized the effects of the Cruciatus.

"The Carrows."

He made a low growl in his throat that made me glance at him apprehensively. He caught my gaze and circled me in an embrace again. "I'm just angry, love, so angry that someone would do that to you. It makes me hate them more than anything in the world." He squeezed harder and I made a small noise as my cuts twinged. He immediately let go. "Where are you hurt?"

"I don't know. Everywhere."

"Lets go." He started off down a staircase.

"Where?"

"My rooms. It's an advantage to having a high-ranking Death Eater father."

I followed him until we reached an ornate door decorated in green and silver. Draco placed his palm upon the door and it melted away, revealing a large bathroom not unlike the one Dumbledore's Army had just vandalized.

"Are your wounds still bleeding?"

I nodded as dizziness came over me. I stumbled and nearly fell.

Draco swore. "Blood loss," he said. "I'm going to need to get you out of these robes."

He lay me down at the side of the gigantic bathtub and began ripping my robes open. He left them as a cushion between me and the cold bathroom floor, and if I'd had any blood to spare I'd have blushed with embarrassment at my near-nakedness.

Exhaustion suddenly flooded over me and my eyes drifted shut. "No, Ginny, no, I need you to stay awake…" his voice drifted away. "_Ennervate!_" I was forced alert again and I groaned at not being able to sleep. "I'm sorry, love, but if you fall asleep now, you won't wake up."

I glanced down and saw he now had me in nothing but a bra and panties. I was distantly grateful I'd worn my nice but modest blue silk bra today, but my underwear was as cotton as ever. At least it was grey. That matched. A little.

A wet washcloth ran over my skin, clearing away the red. My cuts and wounds continued to ooze and more blood dripped off my lips.

He sealed the cuts with a quick potion poured over the washcloth and continued to clean off the blood. I stiffened when he felt at my midsection for broken ribs. Apparently satisfied, he moved to my hands. Pain shot up my arm as he picked up my left hand.

Draco's teeth gritted. "Impressive. They really are thorough. Every single finger broken on this hand. You may require some Skele-Gro, love." He attempted an _Episkey_, but it only caused my groans to turn into quiet screams as the bones shifted. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Not your fault," I managed.

"But it is. I need to protect you. Every time you're hurt, I feel as if I've failed."

"I can take care of myself…most of the time…"

He magically stiffened my fingers so I couldn't hurt them any more. "I'm going to turn you over now."

I winced and struggled not to make a noise as he shifted me onto my back. I felt him wiping the wounds with the cloth and shuddered as they closed.

When I was facing him again, I said, "Can I take a shower?"

"After you drink this." Draco held out a blood-replenishing potion to me. I uncorked it with my teeth and spit away the stopper.

I paused. "All of it?"

"All of it."

I downed the foul potion in three gulps. I immediately felt steadier and could see Draco's worried face much better. I sat up and he clutched me to him. He had discarded his robes at some point and he was dressed in a red-splotched white oxford shirt and black dress pants. His Slytherin tie made him look a bit like Christmas to my exhaustion-addled brain.

"You're not taking a shower." I began to protest. "You're taking a bath because you're so tired you won't be able to stand up. And I'm going to stay here. I'll keep my back turned, but if anything goes wrong, there's no way I'll stay at the edge of the water."

I almost said no, but realized I was too weary and there wasn't anything really wrong with the proposal anyway. He got up and started one of the many taps along the tub. "Leave your clothes at the edge of the tub. I'll get the elves to launder them and get you new ones for tonight. And please don't fall asleep in the water. As appealing as it is, I'm sure you don't want me waking you up naked."

I blushed and started to unclip my bra. I glared pointedly until he grinned and turned a chair around so he could sit. When I was fully unclothed, I slipped into the heavenly rain-scented water and moaned as its heat enveloped me. I scrubbed at my skin until I was pink, trying to rid myself of the essence of the Cruciatus. The soap and shampoo and conditioner were all rain-scented, which I vaguely wondered whether it was something from the bottle or whether it changed with the person.

The soap coated me, and when I rinsed it off, the red stains of the paint were gone. When I was sure that not a speck of red remained except in my hair, I looked to the edge of the tub to find my bloodied clothing had disappeared. A fluffy green towel was folded there instead, and a darker green bundle of cloth that I couldn't identify.

I warned Draco and climbed out, realizing he was right that I could barely stand. When I was dry, I opened the bundle.

"Uh… Draco?"

"Yes, love?"

"What did you tell the elf?"

"That you needed attire for the night. Why?"

"Do the elves…tend to…take liberties?"

"Oh, no," he groaned. "What did they give you?"

"Well…I don't really know… how to describe it." In fact I knew exactly how to describe it. It was, simply put, a negligee. A very skimpy negligee. One that was dark green satin and came to about mid thigh. Plus there was matching lacy panties and bra.

"Should I call them back?"

I debated.

"How about this," he said, and I could hear the grin in his voice. "Put it on and I'll decide whether it's too bad."

I sat down in another chair and began dressing. The satin slid over my skin like water and I marveled in its lightness, plus the underwear was exactly my size. I cast a drying and untangling spell over my hair and faced Draco.

"Okay. Go."

He turned around and I saw shock slowly spread across his face.

"You look…amazing."

"Do I need to change?"

"No, definitely not."

"Draco, this isn't a debate over your control. It's about my modesty. Right?"

"Of course."

"And do you still think this is okay?"

"Eh…yes."

I smiled and held out a hand to him. "All right, Prince Charming. Help me up."

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><p>Gah! I actually wanted to continue it here but it was too good of a stopping point and I think my late night craziness may have taken over if I went on. Review please!<p> 


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey, sorry about the wait, school just started and I've had a lot of band practice and homework and writer's block.**

**There's an f-bomb in this chapter. Sorry. Unavoidable.**

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><p><strong>Ginny, the next morning<strong>

I woke up under a large, green duvet cover, wrapped in silvery grey silk sheets. The comforter was thick and heavy and I stretched contentedly.

I looked over at Draco. He wasn't in the bed with me. He'd opted to take the couch in his adjacent parlor and I'd reluctantly taken over his luxurious bed. He was curled up under a throw pulled from the back of one of the other recliners.

I slowly sat up and swung my legs over the edge of the bed. The rug was thick under my toes and the whole room was full of complex opulence. I turned a full circle, trying to take in the finery. When I looked back at Draco, his eyes were open and his hands were stretched behind his head.

"Oh, by all means, love, continue. You're giving me an amazing view."

I blushed. I still wore the green underwear and nightdress, and in the morning light I saw that it was even more revealing than I previously thought.

"Have you got something that I can wear?"

He sat up stiffly. "Get a shirt from my wardrobe. It should do until I can get something from the elves."

I padded over to his vast closet and opened it. Shirts in every style and color winked out at me, jewel toned and tinted silks and cottons. I chose the plainest one I could find: a simple white silk oxford. I shrugged it on and buttoned it halfway.

Draco groaned. "Maybe that wasn't the best suggestion." I grinned at him and walked over. He looked at the ceiling. "Ginny…"

I stroked a hand down his jaw, but he stared resolutely at the chandelier. "Thanks," I whispered, and for a second his eyes flickered to me.

"For what? Hardly being able to keep my hands off you?"

"No. For helping me last night."

He was off the couch in a second, his hands coming up to frame my face. "Never thank me for something like that," he said lowly. "Never. I feel as if it's my fault it happened in the first place."

"Draco, why would you think that? It was the Carrows!"

His eyes locked on mine. "It might have been the Carrows, but they're becoming suspicious. It will be others next time."

"This doesn't make me see how this is your fault."

"They can't prey upon me without the Dark Lord, much less my father, knowing. But you-" he broke off and looked away. "You are nothing to them; a blood traitor and a Weasley to boot. They can do anything to you and blame it all on a much-deserved detention."

"But you're not the one causing it."

"Of course I am," he said brokenly, looking back at me. "If they see us involved in the slightest way again, even a glance in the hallway, the entire force of the Dark Lord's servants will fall upon you. And if anything happened to you, Ginny, I would never be able to bear it."

"Draco. Listen to me." I grasped his jaw and forced him to meet my gaze. "I will not die by the hands of Death Eaters. I trust you not to allow it and that should be enough for you to realize that I don't blame you for what has happened. I will never blame you for any harm that comes to me or my family."

He shook his head miserably. "Every day I wonder what would happen if you were killed. I hate the thought of it but I can't escape it."

"And I pity the man who does the deed," I said gently. "You're a good man, Draco. Your only fault is one I love."

"And what would that be?"

"You're a possessive, overprotective git."

He ducked his head and pressed his lips against my jaw. "Gods, I love you."

I drew him closer and kissed him. Our mouths moved together and his arms curled tightly around me.

"Time for breakfast," I murmured, pulling away.

His mouth curved into barely a shadow of a smile and he pressed a kiss to my forehead. "We're going to have to go down to the kitchens. The tables in the Great Hall will be clear by now."

"Have my clothes been returned yet?"

"They should have. The elves may have brought them back to the bathroom."

He took hold of my hand and began guiding me in the direction of what I assumed was the gigantic room which housed his shower and bath.

When we arrived, I immediately spotted a small bundle on the floor. I unrolled it, finding my clothes miraculously blood and rip-free.

I glanced back at Draco and found his back already turned. I changed quickly and walked back over to the doorway. Draco sighed in relief but cast a regretful glance at the scattered pile of green I'd left on the bathroom floor.

We walked down to the kitchens together. Draco kept his wand up his sleeve and looked around every few seconds. I was equally worried, but I tried not to let it show. When we reached the portrait, he reached out and tickled the pear.

The door swung open and we both looked on in surprise. The entire kitchen was deserted except for two figures, tightly entwined and snogging heavily.

Draco laughed for the first time in ages. "Blaise," he said, "I'm proud of you. You got her."

Blaise separated himself from Natalie Falcone and scowled at Draco. "Just had to walk in right then, didn't you, mate? And why have you got Ginny with you?"

I spoke up. "I spent the night with Draco."

I tried not to grin as Blaise sputtered incoherently. Finally, he got a hold on himself. "You _what?_"

I let up. "It was the Carrows, Blaise. Calm down."

"The Carrows?"

Natalie held a slightly amused expression through this turn of events.

"It was an attack on the DA. Everyone but Ginny got away," Draco said quietly. "Would either of you happen to know any especially effective bone-healing spells?"

Both Blaise and Natalie looked surprised, but she stepped forward. "Yeah, I think I might. What for?"

I held up my stiffened hand, the fingers of which were still twisted and misshapen. She looked taken aback.

"What on earth did they do to you?" Blaise's question cut through the silence.

"The Cruciatus Curse mixed with hard-soled boots can do more damage than you'd think."

Natalie took my hand and waved her wand over it. I shuddered and tried not to wince as the bones were forced back into position and mended. She removed the stiffening spell. "That should work. Try not to break them again in the near future. The spell may not be as effective again."

I thanked her as Blaise took her hand and they walked out of the kitchens together. I finally spied a house-elf peeking around the edge of one of the counters. Then, suddenly, they came out in seas, merrily returning to their work.

"They must have tried to give those two some privacy," I said to Draco, working the kinks out of my repaired fingers. "I hope he doesn't hurt her."

Draco shook his head. "He won't. Blaise may have a reputation wider than Casanova's but when he comes across a girl he really likes, he doesn't let her go easily."

Dobby hopped up to us, carrying a tray of food. "Will this be sufficient for Sir and Miss?"

"Yes, thank you, Dobby," I said, and we followed the elf to a table. He set the food down and we sat down.

I didn't realize how hungry I was until I approached the lavish breakfast Dobby had presented us with. I dug in happily and saw Draco smile wryly.

"When exactly was the last time you ate?"

"Lunch yesterday."

"You need to pay more attention to yourself, Ginny. If you're not killed by Death Eaters, you'll be killed by starvation."

"I'll be okay, Draco. I've gone longer than this without eating."

"That's not the point. The point is that you shouldn't have to."

I sighed and kept eating. After a few moments, a though occurred to me. "It _is_ Saturday, isn't it?"

He looked at me oddly. "Of course."

I shook my head. "I've got to stay on top of my schedule more."

"You need to get more sleep, that's what you need."

I cracked a smile at him. "You're never going to let this go, are you?"

"Ginny, I will forever be worried about you. Get used to it."

I kissed him lightly across the table. "Let's go, Draco," I murmured. "We've got a revolution to plan."

We plotted through the day. Ways for the different houses to show their colors and manage to infuriate the Carrows at the same time. Hufflepuffs could paint golden suns upon the walls with snake nostrils in a sick parody of a child's drawing. Ravenclaws would hijack the morning's _Daily Prophet_ and charm blue eagles across every article. Gryffindors, true to their mascot, would conjure red-stained lions that prowled the halls, snarling at those who supported Voldemort.

It was the last of these that would require the most skill; the lions had to be realistic and difficult to vanquish. They had to trail red paint in their paw prints and the "blood" spattered across their coats had to stay wet, the better to smear it over the walls.

We searched separately in the library for a spell that would help us with each requirement. I found an easy conjuring charm that would suffice for the lions themselves. The paint we usually used with an Ever-Wet charm, we decided, would be used as the blood, and I dug through my old notes, searching for the charm that Fred and George used on their fireworks to keep them from being easily vanquished.

Having successfully schemed through the day, we parted ways and returned to our dormitories.

A frantic-looking crowd greeted me at the door. When I walked in, several panicked faces turned my way.

Neville pushed his way through the crowd and grabbed my shoulders. "Ginny Weasley! Where the hell have you been?"

"In the library. Why?"

"I haven't fucking seen you since the Carrows chased you out of the bathroom last night! What the hell happened?"

"Calm down, Neville-"

"I'm not going to bloody calm down, not until you tell me how you got away!"

I looked him straight in the eye. "Neville. I'm fine and I'll tell you what happened if you just let me sit down. It's a long story."

As I passed through the common room, many relieved faces followed me, and many people hugged me or asked me what happened.

Neville and I sat down across from each other. The onlookers of Dumbledore's Army listened carefully, and I began my story.

I tried to skim over the identity of my savior, but Neville, always observant, caught me. "Who was it? Do you know?"

I tried to tell him no, but he didn't take it. Finally, I shook my head at him and jerked my head at the dormitories. I'd tell him later. He took that and stood up.

"I'm glad you're back, Ginny. I'll have to keep an eye out for that guy."

I nodded and approached the staircase for the girls' dormitory. Neville sent me a look that obviously said, "We'll talk later," and went to his own room.

I slept well that night. No dreams plagued me and I was so exhausted from my endeavors the previous day that I was asleep before I could draw the curtains around my bed.

When I woke the next morning, it was early, before anyone would be up for breakfast. I dressed and descended the steps to the common room. Neville was up already, lounging in a tattered armchair.

"I knew you'd be up early." He looked up at me. "Talk to me."

I sighed. "I found some new stuff to use on the Carrows."

He leaned forward. "Yeah?"

I sat and detailed the plans to him. A grin spread across his face as I went on.

"But there's something you haven't told me."

My heart sank. I'd been hoping to distract him.

"Who was it? You know."

I sighed. "Yeah, I know."

I deliberated with myself for several minutes before Neville interrupted. "Ginny, I'm not going to judge you. I need to know who is loyal to the Army, though, and if there's someone you're not telling me about, all I'm worried about is the amount of work we're missing because the whole group could be using his ideas to our advantage."

I sighed again. "Alright."

The curiosity of a young boy lit up in his eyes. "Who?"

"Draco Malfoy."


	12. Chapter 12

Hey guys! Sorry about the wait, school has started and all my classes are giving a crap-ton of homework for Overwork October, No-time November, and Desperation December. Overall, its Weary Winter. And a pretty short chapter. Because I needed to upload something and I'm not going to have time later.

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><p><strong>Ginny<strong>

Neville sputtered. "Wh..what the hell?"

I tried to suppress a grin. "Just what I said. But keep your voice down. If anyone hears, we'll both be killed."

This distracted him. "Killed? How?"

"The Carrows will come after me again for holding a relationship with a faithful pureblood, and Draco will go after you for letting it slip."

"Would he really?" Neville looked doubtfully at me. "He's so dedicated he would kill one of your best friends just to avenge your death?"

"You have no idea what he would do, Neville. I didn't until just a small time ago."

Neville sighed. "And what if his family finds out?"

"I don't know. If his family found out, it would have to be through someone here at Hogwarts. And if one person at Hogwarts knows, the entire school does at well. So by the time his parents found out, we'd most likely both be in the possession of the Carrows."

"You seem to have given this a lot of thought."

"I have to, Neville. No matter how wonderful he is, no matter how amazingly he treats me, it's always in the back of my mind. What would happen if we were found."

"Ginny, if he ever thinks these risks outweigh the benefits of being with you, if he ever tries to hurt you or leave you….tell me and I'll kill him as best as I can."

I laughed. "I will. But I trust Draco; I don't think you'll get your chance."

"I hope not." Neville stood and we exited the portrait hole in search of breakfast.

My foot barely landed on the fourth floor when Draco came out from around the corner. He cast an apprehensive look at me, glanced at Neville, and then back. I nodded at him and he stopped. "Come with me." I motioned for Neville to follow and we trailed Draco to a niche. "What are you doing, Ginny? You know you're dead if the Carrows see you. At least, you would be."

"I know that if they had proof that I was there, they could take me, but they don't. And I'm not going to stand and let them force Veritaserum down my throat. But what do you mean, 'would be?'"

"I mean I managed to get a memory charm on both of them about half an hour ago. They didn't have the chance to tell anyone and now they won't ever."

I froze. "You're serious? How'd you do it?"

"They're not as magically skilled as you'd think. But I want you to be more careful, Ginny." He cast an apprehensive look at Neville.

I bristled. "We can trust Neville. He won't tell anyone. He's my friend, and plus, if it goes wrong with Neville, he won't be there to help with the revolution."

Neville coughed. "I wouldn't say I'd abandon you, but honestly, if it gets out that you two are…you know, together, I'm not sure I'd be there to help, whether I wanted to or not."

"He makes a good point, Ginny. The Carrows would take anybody associated with you at all. You're not just endangering yourself with this, you know."

"Since have you two been on the same side?"

"We're not taking sides against you, Gin. We both need to be more careful." He glanced away. "I have to go meet Blaise now. I'll see you later."

I touched his shoulder lightly and Neville and I continued past him to breakfast. As we walked into the Great Hall, several people still gave me relieved glances. Even more opened their mouths to ask what happened, but I steered clear and sat down with Neville.

"If they don't know yet, they don't need to know." I muttered as a response to his questioning look. "We don't want too many rumors to spread."

We ate in silence. Any cheerfulness I'd had at the beginning of the day had been leeched away.

Neville and I parted ways after eating. My classes were uneventful as usual; the boredom creeped up on Luna and I and threatened to overcome us. I studied the Professors Carrow in Muggle Studies and Defense Against the Dark arts, but they were no more cruel than usual. When I would meet Draco in the hallway, our eyes would jump away from each other and I'd find that a group of chatting second years would manage to force its way in between us.

When the day was finally over, I retreated to the library and began to work on my homework. My candle dripped lower and lower as I worked over my essays. Slowly, the pile of parchment and books diminished and I sat back, rubbing my eyes with ink-stained hands.

Yawning, I began to pack my things up. It was only four days until the winter holidays, though I knew that I wouldn't be able to go home. In fact, it would probably be only me, Neville, and Luna for Christmas. Neville's grandma was still on the run and Xenophilis had only just stopped printing pro-Potter material; we were all essentially hostages at Hogwarts. Draco's family would want him to go home to the Manor and Dean and Seamus's families weren't yet labeled as blood traitors.

I sighed and picked up bag. Madam Pince sent me a trademark glare as I almost fell off balance and steadied myself against one of her precious bookshelves. I muttered an apology and continued out of the library.

I staggered up to Gryffindor tower. The four flights of stairs it took to the portrait hole seemed longer than ever. When I finally gave the password and entered the common room, the fireplace was nothing more than a pile of glowing coals and the only chairs occupied were those of snogging students or overworked fifth years trying to get a head start on their O.W.L.s.

Everyone was in bed when I entered the dorm. I changed quickly and fell asleep even faster.

**Draco, two days later**

This separation was getting nearly unbearable. His social life consisted of Blaise and the people who thought they were his friends. Crabbe and Goyle were a constant, hovering irritation and Pansy was no exception either. Some days he just wanted to declare himself a blood traitor so that he could escape the monotony of his dull companions.

Every so often, he caught a glimpse of bright red in the hallway. He always looked away, whether it was Ginny or not. If the Carrows saw him taking a special interest in a redhead at all, they would go after the girl he was really looking for.

Draco missed Ginny more than he missed the freedom that Hogwarts used to provide. He would have been happier to be completely exiled from the world except for her. Even Blaise admitted that that plan sounded pretty good.

Blaise and Natalie were a happy couple, though, so Draco felt that there was a slight difference in their opinions. Several times, he had walked in on them snogging in the kitchen or empty closets or classrooms. The two seemed so absorbed in what they were doing, in fact, that they didn't notice the falcon fly off and greet Draco. To him, it seemed almost relieved.

The cat that Draco had salvaged from Transfiguration had been absent these last few days. He hoped it meant that Ginny was safe, though he would be damned if he let her be hurt because some cat never told him about it.

He dreaded the moment the Christmas holidays came. Voldemort would be in the manor, and Draco would have to kill and torture in order to gain his acceptance into the ranks. And if he refused, Lucius would be sure to kill him before the Dark Lord even had to say a word.


	13. Chapter 13

**Sorry. You've probably forgotten what this fic is even about by now. Here's a recap of the last chapter: Neville found out that Draco and Ginny are in romantic cahoots and Draco complained about his dull but dangerous life and dreaded the moment of winter hols.**

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><p><strong>Draco<strong>

The well heated, thickly covered four-poster in his room at the Manor did nothing to calm Draco's chills. No matter how many cups of tea Kalps brought him, goosebumps continued to mar his usually smooth skin. And the flaming hair that returned to his mind every second had as little warming power as ice.

It was that hair, in fact, that was causing the cold. Nothing could shake the continuous feeling that its owner was in danger, hurt, her skin stained the same red as the locks that hung, tangled, around her bruised, beautiful face. It was almost a crime in itself, Draco thought, to do such a thing to her hair, much less the girl herself.

He had to remind himself that these images were nothing, meant nothing. For all he really knew, Ginny was safe at Hogwarts, curled up in her common room, watching the snow fall, laughing with Longbottom.

Jealousy curled in his stomach. Why was it that Longbottom got to spend the winter holidays with Ginny? The unfairness swirled irrationally around Draco's head. He had to be there with her, for her, but here he was, stuck in this damned Manor with an infamous Dark Lord, a malevolent, insane aunt, a servile elf, and two uncaring parents.

He was undeniably frustrated, but refused to take it out on the victims the Dark Lord brought into the dining room. Only once or twice had he had to witness the "festivities," and had been able to beg out a few times, claiming (and not always lying about) a stomachache.

He had used up his valid excuses, though. There were only a few times one could claim sickness on just the days one was to be called upon to torture Muggles. And tonight, there would be a celebration for Christmas Eve. It would include food, gifts, and undoubtedly, the Cruciatus Curse. Draco had no doubt his mother would be turning a blind eye to the number of unwilling midnight trysts occurring in the Manor tonight. One may even include his father, which would lead to, of course, an entertaining row at breakfast tomorrow morning. And Draco would be sucked into it, and his father would ask him to claim it was him, Draco, not Lucius, raping that Muggle girl last night. That would appease his mother, who had forever wanted him to begin acting like a "real" man.

There was a knock on Draco's door. His room was warm, hot even, and his mother visibly relaxed against the cold when she entered. There was a black bundle in her arms. She handed it to Draco, who had jumped away from the window when she entered.

"Wear these tonight."

He unfolded them. "All black on Christmas Eve? Don't you think that's a bit…morose?"

Narcissa sighed. "Your father says the Dark Lord is planning something special tonight. Not only does he want us to be invisible in the dark, he doesn't want stains."

Draco swallowed as he understood. There would be blood. Lots of it.

When he descended the stairs and passed the kitchen, Draco could hear the radio he had given Kalps. There had been an explosion in Godric's Hollow, it said. Weeks-old blood and the ripped-up corpse of Bathilda Bagshot had been found inside the house. At the same time, Footprints leading from the graves of James and Lily Potter had lead straight to the front door of the wreck. Not to mention the Christmas roses that had been laid on the headstone.

Shivers went up Draco's spine. Potter was involved, said the radio. They were getting closer to catching him every day.

"Ah, Draco."

His eyes shot up. There was Lucius, dressed in the same hooded black dress robes. "Father," said Draco, and he passed him, trying not to shudder at the anticipation clearly written on Lucius's face.

"Draco," Lucius called back at him.

Draco turned. "Yes?"

"You will take part in tonight's events, and you will enjoy it."

The shudder Draco had repressed before came back to the surface of his skin. "Yes, Father," he said, and walked away.

**Ginny**

Hogwarts was silent. Only the pacing of the Carrows or the out of tune caroling of the armor occasionally broke the monotony. Snow fell upon more snow, and nobody ventured out to break the pristine surfaces with a snowball fight. Every day was like the day before. The elves had still declined in their food and only lukewarm porridge with a small amount of brown sugar was available at breakfast every morning.

But I hardly ever went to the Great Hall for meals anymore. Neville and I stayed in Gryffindor tower most of the time, playing Exploding Snap or Gobstones or chess. When we ventured down, it was to meet Luna in the library or the Room of Requirement and plot more of our revolution. The elves in the kitchens were host to our meals, and there, they released what wonders they had been forbidden by the Headmaster from creating, and I feared we would all get too fat to lead the Army anymore.

Boredom ruled our days. I re-read old letters from Draco, one by one, and threw them into the fire. The risk of being found out couldn't be ruled by my nostalgia.

When Neville and I went out into the corridors and found the banisters bedecked with green garlands and red ribbons, I almost smiled, remembering my deluded thoughts of Christmas the night Draco had saved me from the Carrows. Luna, surprisingly, wasn't waiting for us in the library, and worry grew in my stomach as we continued through the corridors. We passed Alecto Carrow and watched as she sneered at the decorations and muttered something about how foolish "that midget Flitwick" was. Then she caught my eye and called. "Hey, Weasley, seen your little friend Lovegood recently?"

My stomach dropped. I yanked my eyes away from hers, grabbed Neville's hand, and almost ran to the library.

"They've got Luna. They must."

Concern clouded Neville's face. "Where?"

"I don't know. For all we know, she could be in Azkaban."

"But why do they have her?"

"Probably because of the things Xenophilius has been printing. They want revenge."

"This can't go on for long. It's going to be us next."

"They can't get you until your grandmother is caught. But if any of my family is caught outside of the Ministry, they'll start to assume they're up to something. But I think you're okay for now."

"Remember when we got those detentions with Hagrid for trying to steal the sword? And how angry you told me Draco was at Snape? If you're taken, it won't be that detention in the woods. It'll be worse. And Malfoy will hear about it."

Chills flooded me. "He'll try to pull something. Something stupid."

"And they'll catch him. And it'll just end up being a bigger torture session than it is already."

"You're right. We're going to have to go soon."

Neville relaxed infinitesimally. "We only need to figure out where. And how to keep it secret."

"Not yet. But soon."

Snape swept past and we jumped. Casting an apprehensive look at Neville, I walked away. It was too snowy to visit Hagrid, and that would arouse suspicion anyway. I took a side corridor to return to the common room and curled up in an armchair. Before long, my boredom gave way to exhaustion and I fell asleep.

I dreamed of Draco. We stood on a hill, a few feet apart. I started towards him, hand outstretched, but before I could reach him, something wet hit me. I wiped it off, thinking it was just a raindrop, but Draco's eyes widened and he focused on my hand. I looked down and saw a smear of red where I had swiped at the rain.

I took another step towards Draco, and his face filled with concern, watching the blood begin to cover me. I saw a drop fall on his white hair, and it seemed to burn through him. An invisible barrier stopped me from reaching him, and I banged desperately on the wall, needing to feel his arms. As each drop hit him, he began to melt away, holes burning through his body. Behind him, Ron appeared, then Harry, and Percy, and Bill, Charlie, Mum, Dad-

They all melted in the bloody rain until all I saw were sixteen red stumps that barely resembled feet.

I woke, covered in cold sweat and shivering. It was late and the sky outside was dark. The snow falling was white, not red, and I sat close to the fire, trying to warm up. For a second, I thought about flooing Draco. How nice it would be to see his face and hear his voice.

The bells of midnight shook me back to reason. I couldn't Floo Draco. That was stupid. He was at Malfoy manor, not to mention all Floo channels were being watched. I shivered again and went upstairs to shower.

The hot water ran over me, and for once, I was thankful for my empty dormitory and the unlimited shower time that gave me. I thought of Luna and hoped she was all right. I knew Neville would be wracked with worry. The mere thought of her in pain was enough to make both of us cringe.

I wanted Draco here. The only thing that would make me really, truly warm was if I could be next to him, inside his arms. I hadn't really seen him since I had last left his chambers over a month ago. But if he could be here now, arms wrapped around me, I would be the happiest girl in the world.

At least for a little while.

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><p><strong>Yay, for now! Please review, let me know what you thought. If there was too much inner reflection, I totally understand and tell me that's what was up. <strong>


	14. Chapter 14

**We're baaaaack! **

**For now, at least. I hope my muse doesn't up and leave before I can finish this - it's gotten quite attracted to Doctor Who.**

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><p><strong>Ginny<strong>

Tensions were running higher than ever now that the Christmas Holidays were over. Once again, Hogwarts was flooded with children, and Luna's absence was more painfully obvious than ever to us. The Carrows were handing out more punishments than usual, and there was talk of a mass escape from Hogwarts. Nobody took it seriously, of course, but it was comforting nonetheless.

I still saw Draco in the hallways and made sure to look away immediately or send a threatening glance his way. The Carrows may have been concentrating more on punishing students guilty only of petty crimes, but it was still risky for us to give off any semblance of a relationship.

The black cat who had saved my life visited often. When it was with me, I welcomed it and fed it scraps from the Great Hall, and when it was gone, I had no idea where it went. It had taken quite a liking to Colin Creevey, who tirelessly took pictures of it and enthused on how his mother would love it. I'd see it rubbing against his ankles on its way over to my lap, or in his arms, purring contentedly for a few minutes while he had his photo-shoot.

Dumbledore's Army was struggling. We had discovered Hermione's old stash of enchanted Galleons in the Room of Requirement and distributed them out among the remaining members, but curfew had tightened, there were more patrols, and our paint supply had been cut off. The last was an unexpected and unpleasant surprise, and we got the news that no more was coming after we finished our last packets. We still used hexes and charms for our vandalism, but, being purely magical, they were easily removed by the morning patrols before breakfast.

One memorable morning, Neville had cast a Permanent Sticking Charm on a curtain of suspended glitter I, with no other ideas, had conjured. The Carrows, half asleep from their night patrols, had walked right through it. Trailing paths of red and gold sparkles, which flashed at the most inconvenient times, they entered the Great Hall amid snickers and smirks. Even our sulky, rarely-seen headmaster deigned to lift a corner of his mouth and mutter something to Alecto, who deepened her scowl.

It became rare for Gryffindors to be seen entering the portrait hole without at least one fresh bruise. Cuts and scrapes weren't uncommon, but usually treated with more concern than a mere blackened eye. Even Hagrid, who was occasionally seen out on the grounds, wasn't immune to the Carrows' treatment, though I suspected that was really more Grawp than anything.

It was one late night that we found how much we needed to go into hiding. Neville and I were sitting by the hearth, doing homework, when the portrait hole opened and a nearly unrecognizable figure stumbled in.

We drew our wands, ready for an attack.

The figure faltered. "Stop!" it cried in an Irish accent. "It's me!"

"Seamus?"

Neville rushed forward, quill dropping from his fingers, and supported Seamus to the armchair I'd recently vacated. The flickering firelight cast shadows over his battered face and his hand was cupped under his chin to keep the blood from dripping onto the upholstery.

"_Scourgify,_" I muttered, directing my wand at his face, and the blood disappeared, revealing the various bruises and cuts appearing in concentration there. "Seamus," I said, "What happened?"

"Wasn't nothing," he said, attempting a small grin. His lip split open and more blood spilled from his mouth.  
>"This isn't nothing, Seamus," Neville said, a small bottle of dittany appearing in his fingers. "Was it the Carrows?"<p>

Seamus sighed, leaning back as I ran my wand over his bruises. "Right in one."

The bruises weren't fading. "Did they have a reason?"

"Bad day, as far as I could tell. Suddenly, bam, a Gryffindor appears, and they've got a punching bag."

Neville daubed the dittany into the cuts over Seamus's cheeks and eyes. He winced as it sizzled. When the smoke cleared, the cuts had sealed, emphasizing the purple hue of the skin behind them.

"Seamus, these bruises are beyond me. You're going to have to let them heal on their own, unless you want to visit Madam Pomfrey."

"No, Pomfrey's got enough to deal with on her own. I'll just have a few temporary battle scars, that's all."

"They won't be too temporary. If they're too deep to heal, they're going to last a while."  
>"It'll just add to my roughish looks. Thanks, guys, but it's time for bed."<p>

Yawning, I agreed with him and packed up my homework. Neville did the same next to me while Seamus wearily trudged up to the dormitories.

"It's time to go, isn't?" Neville's quiet voice "We've got to leave."

I sighed. "I'll call a DA meeting tomorrow. The Room of Requirement might be just what we need."

Feeling the heavy golden coin in my pocket, I climbed the stairs up to bed.

* * *

><p>Seamus's bruises had worsened overnight. One eye was swollen shut, the other surrounded by purple. Both cheekbones were spread with black and several large dark blue spots had appeared along his cheeks and jaw.<p>

There were whispers in the Great Hall upon his arrival. The smug looks upon the Carrows' faces could hardly be missed. Overall, though, I thought, it shouldn't have been that surprising. Gryffindors came into breakfast with bruises more often than any other house. Seamus's were just a little worse than anyone had seen before.

At the DA meeting that evening in the Room of Requirement, I saw more bruises in one room than I'd ever wished to see. Before starting the meeting, Neville began a queue in front of him and everyone took turns with the dittany.

When the cuts, at least, and the minor bruises were gone, I began the meeting.

"You guys probably noticed that Luna's not here."

There were mutters of assent.

"We think she's been taken by the Death Eaters."

Silence fell.

"Was anyone sitting with her on the train from Hogwarts during the holidays?"

Cho Chang raised her hand. "She was sitting with me," Cho said, quietly. "I went to get a drink and she was gone when I came back. I just figured that she went to see another compartment."

"She's gone, though." Neville spoke up. "We don't know where. There's a chance she's in Azkaban."

"Neville and I have been thinking," I began, "It's time to get out of here." I nodded at Seamus. "It's getting worse, the beatings. We could set up right here."

A voice came from the small crowd. "What, live in the Room of Requirement?"

"Why not?" another returned. "It'll expand with people, and give us places to train and live and sleep."

"Exactly," I said. "Shall we have a vote?"  
>"All who support the idea of living in the Room of Requirement until the end of term, raise your hand."<p>

Every single hand in the room went up.

Neville laughed nervously. "That's settled, then. Let's start moving in this week. Get into groups, everyone. Every day, a new group will move in. We'll be done by Friday."

The students shuffled around, getting into randomized groups. All houses, all years. When the commotion settled down, there were four relatively equal clusters in the room.

"Seamus," I called, "What group are you in?"

"Here," he said, raising his hand.

"Right," I said. "Seamus's group will go first. You all need to collect your things and get them here without being seen by dinner tomorrow. Make sure everyone, personally, is here, let's say, an hour before all are also in charge of creating the room. I'll leave that up to whoever gets here first.

"Next," I said, "Cho, what group are you in?"

Her hand popped up from Seamus's group. "Here."

"Okay, never mind. Er…Michael?"

Michael Corner, now about as tall as Ron when I'd last seen him, raised his hand. His group was the largest by far. "You lot will go on Wednesday. You have between dawn and supper to get your things to the room. After supper, you've got get yourselves in the room an hour before curfew. I don't want them to have any excuses to delay you.

"Now, Ernie? Ernie MacMillan?"

"That's me," Ernie said. I hadn't spoken to him since the Death Eaters had attacked last year.

"Ernie, your group will go on Thursday. You've got the same rules. Dawn to supper to get your things, and be here with an hour to go before curfew. Also," I said, once again addressing the entire room, "If someone doesn't make it, their group is responsible for helping them in as little time past those times as possible."

Ernie nodded and I turned to the last group. It was the smallest. "Susan," I said, recognizing the Wizengamot member's niece, "Neville and I will be with your group. The same rules apply to us. Minute the sun comes up, it's free reign. Patrols will shrink after dawn and we'll have a better chance at getting here all together."

I turned back to Seamus's group. "Seamus, I need you to find out whoever gets to the room first and what words they used to get in. Once you find it, send it out to the Galleons. You must all use the same words, otherwise the room will be different."

Seamus nodded and I turned back to them as a whole. "You guys must not be seen. The Carrows and Snape _will_ notice us disappearing, but if we can hold their suspicion down as much as possible, the interrogations will be kept to a minimum."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Neville's expression of realization. Yes, I'd placed us in the last group so that we would be able to draw the attention away from the others who remained.

"Good luck. Seamus and you lot, I'm expecting to see most of you sick out of classes tomorrow."

They grinned at the prospect of missing classes this early in the week. Several jealous looks were cast their way.

I checked my watch. "All right, you lot, its time to leave. Remember, dawn to supper, be here anywhere from then to an hour before curfew. Also, if there are any troubles, use the Galleons or, if it's really an emergency, sent a Patronus."

We filed out of the room. The door disappeared as I shut it, and I hoped that it would be willing to let us in again tomorrow.

I had to let Draco know where we were going. For all he would know, the Carrows were kidnapping blood traitors and half-bloods and non-Slytherin students in general.

* * *

><p>I found my opportunity a few days later. The number of DA students still in classes was dwindling, and even Binns had taken notice of the lack of kids. The Carrows, still fuming, it seemed, from the glitter incident, were increasing beatings, and every day seemed to be an Unforgivable practice day. I kept it in my mind, though, that in two days, we'd all be in the Room of Requirement.<p>

During lunch, I received a message on my Galleon. "No food," Seamus said.

"No food?" I sent back.

"RoR doesn't give food."

"Why not?"

"Cho says Gamp's Law of Transfig? She just remembered."

I tried to refrain from swearing. Of course! The room wouldn't supply food for us because of the first exception of Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration – food.

"The kitchens, then." I sent.

"Will hold us for a bit. Can't keep sneaking out, though," came his reply. Another message appeared immediately after. "Need to figure something else out when you come."

"Will do. Have to go now."

The familiar black cat had appeared at my feet after socializing momentarily with Colin. It nudged me, and I rose to follow it.

I followed the cat up several flights of stairs until I reached the old corridor in which Ron claimed to have seen a giant three headed dog named Fluffy. It was still hardly used, though the dog had left years ago.

I caught the barest flash of white before two arms reached out and pulled me against a warm, hard body. I almost screamed before a hand clamped over my mouth. Turning around, I saw Draco in the dim light. His hand withdrew from my mouth as I relaxed, his thumb brushing over my lower lip.

Quickly, I stretched up on my toes and kissed him. He responded, spinning to press me against the wall, mouth moving to open mine. My arms wound around his neck and his hands set on my waist, holding tight.

We slowed down, and he leisurely sucked my lower lip into his mouth. I felt the slight pressure of his teeth and pulled away, sighing happily. He moved down to my neck, nuzzling softly, leaving tingles where he touched me.

"Draco," I breathed, "Stop."

I didn't mean it, and he knew. His hands wandered down to my hips and he pulled me against him.

"Draco," I said, with more resolve. "We can do this later."

He didn't stop. He moved back up to my face, smiled roguishly, and attacked my mouth again. "I missed you," he growled against my lips. "I haven't been able to touch you for a month and a half. There is no reason to delay this any further."

I groaned and pulled away. "No, Draco, later. Ten minutes, I promise. I need to talk to you."

"We're already talking too much for my liking," he said, his mouth drifting over my eyelids.

I grasped his head and pulled him away. "I'm leaving."

He shook his head out of my grasp, but didn't return to his previous activity, to my reluctant disappointment. "I figured as much. This has something to do with the fact that Dean Thomas, Cho Chang, Seamus Finnigan, Michael Corner, Zachariah Smith, and Hannah Abbott are all out of classes today, doesn't it?"

"The beatings are getting worse, Draco. Seamus could barely see yesterday, his eyes were so bruised."

"What about you?" His silver eyes were suddenly flooded with worry.

"I'm okay. I've only had a few hits. Others haven't been so lucky."

He disregarded my comment and his eyes filled with rage. "Only a few hits? Ginny, love, the fact that they're touching you at all makes me want to kill them. If they're hitting you…" His eyes closed, and when they reopened, I shivered at the cold fury there. "I swear, I will rip them limb from limb."

"Draco, wait. Wait until you can justify it. If you do anything to them, you'll be thrown in Azkaban so fast you won't be able to call the father card. At the very least, you'll be sent back to the Manor, and then where would that leave us."  
>"If there's a fight, and there will be," Draco said, kissing the top of my head, "I'm going to take that opportunity. I won't let you stop me."<p>

"Stop you? I'd take that opportunity right now if I could. I'll be helping you the entire time."

"When are you going?"

"End of the week."

"Will I see you?"

I shook my head. "Not unless it's an accident. I don't know if we'll be able to arrange anything, either."

Draco kissed me, slow and sweet, and I almost melted.

"I guess we'll have to get our fill now." His mouth parted from mine.

I hated the air that filled the gap between us.

"Do you agree?"

I hated it.

I agreed.

I pulled him back down to me and our lips met again. We both missed the rest of lunch.

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><p><strong>hey, what did you guys think? I tried to keep it going as much as possible...a little bit of plotting, a little bit of romance. review, please. please. please.<strong>


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